


The Difference A Bullet Can Make

by SpencnerTibbsLuvr (KliqzAngel)



Category: NCIS
Genre: Anti-Ziva, Canon Divergence, Challenge Response, Conversational Mention of Child Abuse and Neglect, M/M, Possible Current Event Trigger: COVID, Tony leaves NCIS, Ziva Dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:40:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26332804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KliqzAngel/pseuds/SpencnerTibbsLuvr
Summary: A shipping container wasn’t Tony’s first choice for hiding places in a gun fight, but once the doors were closed they should be relatively safe. Why was it then things only got more dangerous from that point? In the aftermath, Tony needs a port in the storm, but Morrow’s idea is a little more out of this world than Tony anticipated.
Relationships: Anthony DiNozzo/Eliot Spencer (Leverage)
Comments: 38
Kudos: 647
Collections: Minions' writings





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the 2019 NANO Challenge on Rough Trade. Character Death is for Ziva. Canon divergence happens during Boxed In.
> 
> Warning! There is a mention of an illness running through the medical staff at the hospital in the beginning of this story. It was written before COVID and I had something like a mild flu in mind, but with current events wanted to warn for it.

# Chapter One

Tom Morrow stepped off the elevator with an impatient huff because before the doors were even closed, he could hear Gibbs bellowing. Forcing himself not to roll his eyes, Tom turned knowing the men with him would follow and headed toward the sound of Gibbs’ voice. When they passed the nurses’ station, Tom saw Master Sergeant Moss Dougal veer off to explain the situation to the nurse as Tom continued toward the sound of Gibb’s yelling hoping that Tony’s Dr. would be there with him.

Well, not his actual doctor. Dr. Brad Pitt was a close friend of Tony’s, who volunteered to be a go-between, running interference for his actual doctor so the woman could do her job, instead of spending all of her time dealing with Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Since Morrow had already talked to Dr. Pitt on the phone, he knew that Pitt was just back from an assignment and was taking some time to work on a paper he was planning to publish when he volunteered to help out. Rounding a corner, Director Morrow was proven correct when he saw Gibbs standing in front of Dr. Pitt with fire practically shooting from his eyes as he tried to get information on his agent, Tony DiNozzo.

“Gibbs, that’s enough,” Tom ordered with authority as he strode forward and held out his hand to shake Dr. Pitt’s. “I think it’s obvious by now that Dr. Pitt isn’t going to give you any information about Tony. Obviously, things have changed. Maybe you need to go get a coffee or something and think about that. When I’m done with the good doctor, I will fill you in on what I know and then you and I can have a little heart to heart.”

“Why the hell would you…”

“Gibbs, I said enough,” Tom returned with steel in his voice and saw both Sergeant Major Eliot Spencer and Staff Sergeant Karun Basu straighten slightly. He wanted to facepalm because all three men accompanying him were in plain clothes for a reason but knew that with the amount of time that they’d spent in the Marines that some things were instinctive. He couldn’t help but get a little thrill out of knowing he still had the ability to command respect, and his inner Megalodon was practically preening with glee.

When Gibbs tried to glare him into submission, Tom just arched an eyebrow unimpressed until the NCIS team leader gave an angry huff and stomped off. You’d think that with as many years that he had worked with Gibbs that the man would know he wasn’t someone he could intimidate. Apparently, the rumors that the Gunny was preoccupied with his new Director were true. God knows when Morrow had been Director, Gibbs knew better than to try and pull that bullshit intimidation act on him. 

When Eliot gave a head nod in Gibbs’ direction, Tom shook his head slightly guessing that Eliot was asking if the man should be followed. It was better to let Gibbs commune with his relaxant of choice at the coffee shop in the hospital alone and let him cool down. While Tom respected Eliot and his ability to keep his mouth shut, he’d seen Gibbs break men more seasoned than Spencer was. There was no need to risk the former sniper getting bits of information that would cause an even bigger FUBAR situation than they were already in.

“Thanks for that,” Dr. Pitt offered as Tom watched him check out Eliot and Karun then Moss when the third man came trotting up. “Why don’t you and I step into Tony’s room. I can fill you in on what I know at this point hopefully before Gibbs gets back. If you would prefer, I can call his actual doctor if you would rather talk to her.

“The hospital is a little short-staffed at the moment. There’s a bug going through the medical staff. It’s partly why I’m helping out here. The rest of the Team Gibbs are in a waiting room down the hallway. I’d like to get out of sight before someone else decides to start in on me though. This isn’t the only patient I’m helping out with.”

Tom turned and nodded slightly toward the three men with him. “I hope the bug is nothing serious. As to interference, I think you’ll find that it’s going to be a lot harder for Team Gibbs to get into Tony’s room. I’d like Basu to join us if you don’t mind. He has medical training and will be staying around to help out with Tony’s care and protection once we leave here.”

“No, just a minor illness, but it’s still causing enough of an issue that they’re a little thin in the ER and other non-specialized areas. I’m happy to have your man come along.” Brad agreed before leading the way into Tony’s hospital room. Tom was pleased to see that the NCIS agent had been given a private room as Tom requested.

It would certainly help with his protection, not having to worry about unknowns in the room with him. As they headed in, Tom saw Spencer and Dougal settling on either side of the room door and felt his shoulders relax a little. When Tom got the call that Tony had been gravely injured and Ziva seemed to have been killed, Tom immediately made a call to Lieutenant General Jack O’Neill. Jack was overseeing Stargate Command and Tom was hoping he’d agree to a protection detail for a possible future SGC asset.

Before Tom left NCIS, he had a meeting with Senior Field Agent Tony DiNozzo and tried to get the younger man to follow him to Homeland. Tony had an incredible mind that was being wasted not only on Gibbs but also in his current situation. The younger man had a history of people undervaluing his mind and not seeing the brilliance that was in front of him from his conman father all the way up to and including his current Team Leader Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

When Gibbs brought Tony in, at first Tom saw exactly what Tony wanted, which was a dumb jock who had lucked his way up the food chain always somehow managing to be in the right place at the right time. However, Tom hadn’t survived DC and the Cold War to get to where he was by not seeing underneath a façade, even one as good as Tony’s was. One thing that quickly became apparent was that Tony’s mind needed to be kept busy. It was when he wasn’t that stupid things happened, and he got himself into trouble.

So, it didn’t take long before Gibbs was feeding Tony cold cases and as much other busy work as he could. Every once and a while Tom would slip Tony a special cold case or evaluation of combination test and training of that incredible mind. While he knew that at that point, Tony probably would never get as far as he could have if he had been encouraged sooner, Tom still believed that DiNozzo could be a valuable intelligence asset if they could get him away from Gibbs.

Tom’s concern about Tony remaining on Gibbs’ team had only increased in the short time that he’d been away from NCIS. It hadn’t taken long for the whispers and rumors to start about Gibbs’ former flame being his new boss and how quickly the atmosphere in the building had changed because of it. When Kate Todd died, Tom’s worry had grown higher. Special Agent Todd had been the one most often partnered with Tony, and Tom knew that created a special and sometimes complicated relationship between people.

While Tom had some immense regrets at ever agreeing to the woman’s spot on the team, he knew that Tony respected Kate and her relationship to him was a layered and complicated one even more so than normally seen between partners. Some days it had seemed like the two had a sibling relationship, others it seemed like they were trying their best to get in each other’s pants, and yet others it seemed like they were going to bicker each other to death.

Although, in Tom’s opinion nothing would have come from the flirting. The former NCIS Director was aware of the accepted opinion on Tony’s feelings toward relationships, but he also knew much of the serial dating was due more to not having time for much else than the perceived lack of appeal for a commitment.

Giving Gibbs the ability to pick his own team had been a bad decision on Tom’s part, and one he now greatly regretted. His choice of Tony had worked out so well that Morrow had been hoping he’d strike gold again with Todd and McGee. He should have known better though because if nothing else, experience told him that agents like Tony DiNozzo didn’t come around every day. Kate Todd had been a Secret Service Agent with a shaky reputation, not the profiler that she and Gibbs both liked to insist that she was.

Tim McGee was certainly a wiz at computers but had been incredibly green and never should have been placed on a team with a personality like Gibbs’. Then there was the fact that a high-profile team like the Major Crime Response Team should have seasoned agents who were the cream of the crop. Tony’s hiring should have been an exception, not a template. In Tom’s opinion, neither Todd nor McGee had come even close to the payoff that NCIS had gotten from hiring DiNozzo.

When the whispers and rumors that ran through the DC agencies shifted to insinuate that the new Director had put a Mossad agent on the team, Tom's gut had genuinely begun to churn. When the whispers quickly started to include Tony’s protests over the placement, his calls to try again to lure Tony away started back up. When the whispers and rumors didn’t stop and instead became more insistent and concrete, Tom knew that there was a potentially dangerous situation developing.

There was no doubt in his mind who the Mossad Agent was. It hadn’t taken much to verify that Shepard had indeed placed Eli David’s daughter and worse yet, the handler of Agent Todd’s killer, in the very position that her half-brother created when he made that shot. The very idea made Tom’s gut churn. We were forced to question just what in the hell was going on with not only the Director but if SecNav was paying any attention to the federal agency under his purview at all.

Tom had learned long ago to trust his instincts, and because of that, he had started making possible exit strategies for Tony from NCIS. One of those included a placement in Stargate Command in an Agent Afloat type situation with some extra intelligence analysis type job duties to keep him busy. The problems that the SGC had with moles over the years from the NID to The Trust and heaven only knew who else should have signaled to them that they needed someone like Tony much sooner.

After taking his new position at Homeland, which really was just a cover for him taking General Hammond’s position over Homeworld when he retired, the first thing Tom did was review the structure of Homeworld and the SGC. The need for some kind of investigative agent had become quickly apparent and Tony was the first person he thought of.

The investigation into Ziva David’s death and what the hell had happened in that shipping container was in its early stages. However, there wasn’t a doubt in Tom’s mind that Tony was in serious danger from not only Eli David and Mossad, but maybe also his own people. There was something highly suspicious about Ziva’s placement.

Because Tom was very well aware of Jenny Shepard’s obsession with her father’s death, he suspected that somehow that was involved in Ziva’s liaison position. If Eli David were indeed helping get Shepard information on her father’s death, Tom knew that she wouldn’t take the death of Eli’s only reason to help her well. So, after getting the call that Tony was en route to Bethesda via Air Lift, and they were requesting that he come to the hospital as Tony’s Medical Power of Attorney, Tom’s first call was to O’Neill to request the protection detail.

When they got into Tony’s hospital room, Dr. Pitt didn’t question the team of people Morrow brought with him, but instead just starting in on his explanation of Tony’s condition, which included a bullet wound in the shoulder area that had miraculously missed any vital blood vessels but had caused some bone damage. To make things more complicated, Tony had come in with some hypothermia which may have helped the shoulder injury but was a cause for worry where his lungs were concerned. There was also some blood loss from the bullet wound that they’d had to deal with.

With the various medical issues that they were treating, according to Brad, Dr. Hanson was trying to keep Tony asleep as much as possible to try and help him recover. Tom was relieved to hear that Tony had been somewhat conscious when they first found him although not completely coherent. Thankfully, he’d managed to at least express his need to get to Bethesda instead of the local hospital citing his bout with the Plague within the last year. It was a complication that the local hospital hadn’t wanted to deal with, and therefore an Air Lift had been brought in to get him back to DC.

“What do you want to be done about visitors? Gibbs isn’t the only one wanting in to see Tony. I know from previous experience that Gibbs’ team is hard to keep away even when the patient shouldn’t have a lot of visitors. Abby, in particular, has been making a fuss about getting into the room.”

“No visitors,” Tom said immediately and firmly. “I know that Gibbs isn’t aware of the change in Tony’s Medical POA, and I will take care of that situation. There is too much going on otherwise, and I don’t want any exceptions made here. NCIS is a shit storm right now and it’s only going to get worse. The only people I want in this room are myself, the three men I brought with me, and Special Agent Jubal Valentine from the FBI.

“The three men I brought with me will be serving as Tony’s protection detail. So, I would like to get a list of the medical people who will be authorized for entry into the room and their pictures. I am not taking the chance of someone slipping into the room disguised as a doctor, nurse, or some random technician. There is a serious threat to Tony’s safety from Mossad. Do you know anything about Tony’s situation beyond his medical files?”

Brad nodded as he shifted his stance where he was standing at the end of Tony’s bed. “We developed a friendship while he was here with the plague. It helped that we kind of knew each other previously from college. I know that things have been… tense at NCIS since Kate’s death. Ziva’s placement on the team only made things worse, at least for Tony. I also know that he had big issues with Ziva, even if I don’t know all the details on why. I mean, Tony bitched to me a lot, but he would never risk breaking his confidentiality agreements and such just to complain about co-workers.”

“Well, I am going to give you a little more information then, because I want to make sure that you and whoever will be treating Tony while he is here is more aware of his situation. The woman who died in the shipping container that he was stuck in was a Mossad officer and the daughter of the Director of Mossad. Her half-brother died within the last year, and Ziva was the Director’s last known living child. It’s my opinion that no matter what the investigation uncovers that Tony is going to be in danger from Mossad's retaliation.”

“Hence the concern of someone getting into the room impersonating hospital staff,” Brad commented with a nod as his eyes flicked to Staff Sergeant Basu with a new sparkle of curiosity. If it were anyone else, Tom would be concerned, but he trusted Dr. Pitt and already had a contingency plan to bring him into Stargate Command if necessary. The doctor had developed a good reputation from what Morrow had learned after treating Tony’s bout with the plague, and Tom couldn’t help but think that they could use someone like that at the SGC to deal with all the odd alien illnesses and diseases that seemed to crop up.

Tom stood quietly and listened as Basu asked some questions about Tony’s care both in the hospital and after he was released. Once they were done, Tom saw Dr. Pitt turn his attention back his way. He knew that Pitt was a specialized Infectious Disease doctor but was hoping if, or more like when, they had to move Pitt he could get the man to come along.

“I had already transferred my nurse Emma to become Tony’s primary nurse while he was here. I thought a familiar face would help. His Primary Physician and I are concerned with his mental health having another significant medical situation less than a year after the plague. We’re doubly concerned knowing that he was trapped in a shipping container with a dead co-worker for who knows how long. No matter the situation on the team, whether they were friends or mortal enemies, that’s going to be an issue.

“So, you’re going to need to make sure you have someone with the right clearance level so that Tony can speak openly. I am not blind to the fact that there is a lot of things going on that I either flat out don’t know or at least don’t know or understand the nuances of. While we have in house professionals I could recommend, I am willing to leave that detail in your hands if you’d prefer. I was impressed by your concern and care of Tony’s wellbeing from the first time, and I don’t see any reason why it would be different now.

“I am going to go speak with the Hospital Director and Tony’s Primary Physician Dr. Pamela Hanson about what’s going on and forming a team to deal with Tony’s care to cover all shifts. I’m going to fight to keep this sort of go-between position I’m working. Once I have that done, I will get you the names and pictures so that you can do your thing. I am sure you’re going to want to check them out for risks. For now, I will make sure Emma is handling as much as possible for the next hour or so while I work out details.”

“If it helps, you can advise both the Hospital Director as well as Dr. Hanson that I would prefer that you stay on in your current capacity. I say that as not only Tony’s Medical Contact but also as my official position within Homeland Security.” Tom offered, receiving a nod of thanks from the somewhat tired-looking doctor.

When Dr. Pitt left, Tom called for Sergeant Major Spencer to join them in the room so that they could work out some details. The one detail that Tom was having trouble with was where to put Tony once he was released from the hospital. He would love to just dump Tony in Cheyenne mountain where he knew that physically he would be safe. However, he wasn’t blind to the concerns Dr. Pitt had raised concerning Tony’s mental health.

To say that the last year had been difficult for Tony would be an understatement. It had all started with that damned letter and Tony’s fight to survive the plague, but it also included the drawn-out ordeal with Ari Haswari and Kate’s death in addition to the normal stress of Tony’s job. Then there was the added issue of fighting Ziva’s placement, which had to have made the atmosphere on the team tenser than normal. Tom doubted that Tony’s objections were a secret at NCIS.

Tom hoped that he would have considered the need for a psychologist for Tony on his own, but nonetheless, he was glad Pitt had mentioned it. Mentally, he ran through the names of the people associated with the SGC and thought he had the perfect person.

Dr. Marcus. Stephenson was new to the program but at least on paper seemed to be the perfect person to assign to Tony’s case. In addition to a history of helping both high-level law enforcement personnel and military members, he had spent some years overseas in England in his youth. Tom thought that might appeal to Tony considering his mother’s background, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he couldn’t get Tony to agree to use this as an opportunity to work through more than just this past year.

Morrow was well aware of Tony’s ability to talk circles around people when he wanted to, and that included psychiatrists and psychologists. He suspected that there were things from Tony’s past that had never been dealt with and hoped that maybe now Tony would be open to at least considering being open and honest if like Dr. Pitt said they got the correct person.

When Sergeant Major Spencer joined then, Tom pushed his worrying over Tony to the side and filled Eliot in on what they had learned. “I am going to get someone to run a risk assessment on the best place to put Tony while he’s recovering. While the mountain would be the safest place, I don’t think he’s going to mentally be ready for that. I have no doubt though that he’d cope if he had to and would probably argue that he’d be perfectly fine.

“My concern is that the mountain itself can be overwhelming from my experience, and he would be mostly trapped inside. Not being able to escape the confines of being so far underground isn’t the best idea at this time, I think. That isn’t even taking into consideration the fact that he’d have to be read in on everything else.”

“Aliens are probably a little much of a mind fuck to ask him to deal with at the moment,” Spencer conceded with a nod as he crossed his arms over his chest and Basu seemed to agree.

“Dealing with the fact that aliens exist, and we’ve been interacting with them for years was a mind fuck for me and I was in about as good a mental place as you can be as long as I’ve been in the Marines. There’s no way that Special Agent DiNozzo will be ready for that yet. I don’t care who he is. Whoever you pick for his Doctor definitely needs some time with him before we throw that at him.”

“Does this mean you’re considering bringing him into the program?” Eliot asked looking calm and as hard to read initially as DiNozzo in his early years. This was Tom’s first time meeting Sergeant Major Spencer and his team, and so far, what little he’d seen had impressed him.

“I am if I can get Tony to agree to leave NCIS and a couple other conditions. Staff Sergeant Basu, I was considering appointing Dr. Stephenson as Tony’s therapist. Do you have any experience with him? If so, do you have an opinion on it?”

Karun took a moment before answering, and Tom appreciated that he was giving the notion some thought instead of just rattling off an answer. “I haven’t dealt with him personally in a professional aspect. He does play basketball with us in the gym on occasion. Without revealing anything I would rather not though, I know that one of the members of the team has been talking to him and really likes him. This person has been assigned other therapists in the past and hated the experience but says that Stephenson is completely different and likes how he relates to him.

Tom watched as Karun glanced at Eliot and guessed they were having some kind of silent conversation. He guessed about whomever Karun had mentioned. While he was curious about who this person was, he was willing to give them their privacy. He understood when shit just wasn’t his business even if he could demand the answers if he wanted.

“Since I don’t know Special Agent DiNozzo myself, it’s hard for me to say if they’d be a good fit. I can tell you though that this person is pretty quiet about his personal life. He drops little tidbits of information here and there, but he’d been with the team for a good while before he really opened up about anything familywise. He can be an emotional guy and has a temper on occasion.

“This person is protective of his sibling even though their relationship is complicated, and absolutely does not get along with his father. From what he’s told me the experience with Dr. Stephenson has been different than anyone he’s seen before, and they even ventured into a couple topics unrelated to the immediate reason for him going. So, if any of that sounds like your Special Agent DiNozzo it might be worth a try.”

Tom gave a nod and turned his attention to study Tony as he lay in his hospital bed. He wasn’t sure why he was always felt so damned protective of this particular agent, but it seemed like he had almost from the start. Regardless of the why though, he did feel protective and wanted to see Tony in an environment where he could really flourish and find a place to belong. Despite having been with NCIS when Tony came in, Tom absolutely could not get past the notion that the agency was not where Tony belonged or that it would not be any good for him long term. God only knew that Gibbs certainly wouldn’t be.

Another of his regrets was that he hadn’t interfered and severed the connection between Gibbs and Mike Franks. He always questioned if the relationship between the two of them was too firmly set by the time Morrow took over NCIS or if something could have been done.

He knew that the deaths of his wife and daughter changed who Gibbs was fundamentally, but he suspected that Mike Franks hadn’t helped any. The last thing he wanted was to see history repeat itself and for that same manipulative and unhealthy relationship to repeat itself with Gibbs and Tony.

“If I don’t put Tony in the mountain, then I have to find a better place for him. Jack offered his place, but again, I would have to explain to Tony who Jack was, and the man is way too sharp not to put together pieces of the puzzle before we are ready for him to. It’s the same reason why I haven’t already tried to transfer his care to the SGC so that he can be healed. While Homeland has safe houses around town that we could use, I don’t like that idea either.”

Tom cupped a hand over his mouth as he considered the instinct that he’d been fighting since the moment he heard Tony was hurt. After a few moments of contemplation, he decided that fighting his instincts had never gone well.

“To be honest, my first instinct is to have Tony stay in my guest house. That would keep him safe, but yet give him privacy and add another layer of protection to your security detail. I’m just not sure if that is too obvious of an idea. I think I will have one of my people run a threat assessment on the idea I wouldn’t mind though if you had one or two of your people do the same Sergeant Major Spencer. Do you have anyone on your team to do that?”

“Sergeant Payton and Staff Sergeant Matthew Simmons would both be good for the job. In fact, they often have done similar things for other situations and make a good team. Payton is our communications guy primarily but also is really into computers and Simmons has gotten a degree in psychology while he’s been in the service. I can set them both on it asap. I would think they’d be able to get you an answer in 24 to 48 hours. I would assume that DiNozzo will be here at least that long given he’s still unconscious.”

“That’s my guess,” Morrow agreed and after another glance to Tony gave Eliot a nod. “Let’s do it. Once I have both assessments, I will make a decision on where to put him. For now, we’ll make him as safe here as possible. If you feel you need to bring on more of your people do so. My top priority is that Special Agent DiNozzo stays alive. I have plans for him and will be damned if I let Mossad or some rogue portion of NCIS get in my way.”

Giving both men a nod, Tom then headed out of the room to hunt down Gibbs. It was time to remind the stubborn and sometimes blind bastard who the biggest shark in the ocean was.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

The elevator doors opened to the main lobby greeting Tom Morrow with the site of Leroy Jethro Gibbs waiting to get on. He wasn’t surprised at the site of two paper coffee cups from the hospital coffee shop in his hands. He was surprised when, after stepping off the elevator, Gibbs automatically took a step back to allow others to get on and handed Tom one of the cups. Nodding his thanks, Tom headed towards the main entrance offering Gibbs nothing more than a simple, “let’s talk.”

Once the two reached a nearby park, Tom found a bench for the two to sit on and found himself watching traffic for a couple moments as he organized his thoughts. “I know you want details on your agent. So, here’s how this is going to work. I am going to give you an update on his current condition. You’re going to tell me what you know about what happened, and then the two of us are going to have a chat. None of this is negotiable and for once you’re going to do what the hell I tell you without giving me crap about it. Am I clear?”

“I already have one agent dead, Tom. I just want to know if I’m going to end up with a second funeral I have to attend.”

“Fair,” Morrow conceded before sharing what he knew.

“Tony is in intensive care at the moment as you know. He came in with a bullet wound to his upper chest near his left shoulder with no exit wound. Fortunately, it missed any major blood vessels, and thanks to the heavy coat he was wearing stopped before hitting the scapula. It looks like he used the sweater that he was wearing to stop some of the bleeding. Dr. Pitt also advised that the shipping container being so cold helped to slow the bleeding.

“He has cracked ribs from the bullet and is suffering from shock along with some mild hypothermia from being in the cold so long. Pitt is worried about an infection setting in due to the bullet being in him so long, and has him on a course of strong antibiotics.”

“What about his lungs?” Gibbs cut in asking. Morrow let it go because he could hear the concern in the team leader’s voice.

“They are worried there as well, but they are hoping that the antibiotics help stop anything there before it starts, too. He’s minimally conscious at this point, but Dr. Pitt is hoping that he’ll stay asleep as long as possible. He said that he was awake for a brief moment once he got to the hospital and that the EMS stated he was in and out both at the scene and on the flight to Bethesda.”

Gibbs nodded having curled his hands around his coffee cup and Morrow wondered if it was already empty. “He was rambling when he was on the phone with me and when I saw him. Told me Ziva was dead and he had to kill her. He wasn’t making much sense though. Kept telling me that he had to kill her, and he was sorry he couldn’t trust me anymore. That why you’re his Medical Power of Attorney?”

“Tell me what you saw at the scene and then we’ll get to that,” Morrow countered, and Gibbs huffed angrily. Tom let him drink his coffee before answering and when the cup was thrown in a nearby trash can he guessed it had been emptied.

“Ziva was dead. Her body was hidden behind some crates. Tony wasn’t far away. It’s unclear when she got killed. The only proof we have until ballistics comes in that Tony did it is his ramblings. He was pretty out of it when we found him. If McGee and I hadn’t arrived when we did, he probably would be dead. N'Diaye was standing over Tony inside the shipping container when we got there.

“McGee certainly didn’t help things. When he heard Tony say he’d killed her, he started spouting off, accusing Tony of killing her because Ziva hadn’t invited him to her damn dinner party. Kid is a damned nightmare. I shoulda never let Tony convince me to take him on. He musta run directly to Abby because she’s all wound up too. She’s switchin’ from hysterical about Tony being hurt to screaming that he didn’t have to kill her just because he was jealous. As if Tony would ever kill someone because he missed a damned dinner party. I’d like to head slap them both into next year.”

“If it were Tony, you would have. So, I don’t know why you are holding back now. But then, Abby is your favorite replacement daughter.”

“How dare you,” Gibbs started, only to be cut off immediately by Morrow, who was in no mood to put up with the man’s bullshit.

“Try it on someone who doesn’t know you, Jethro. I would never besmirch Kelly’s memory, but you seem to try and fill in that empty hole in you with every woman with daddy issues that you meet. I have a shitstorm in my lap that you are a huge part of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and I am in no mood to play games with you. So, let’s move this onto the part where I tell you some hard truths.

“This whole mess could have been prevented if you hadn’t just rolled over for your ex-flame. You and I both know that Ziva David in no way was competent enough to be on your team. She didn't have the skills or training to be an investigator. Unless your team has suddenly turned into a group of assassins, Ziva David didn't know how to do the job. Don’t even get me started on the huge liability she was. Eventually, some sharp defense attorney would have figured out that NCIS had a foreign agent touching evidence and intel that she shouldn’t have had access to.

“How the hell J.A.G didn't throw a massive hissy fit over her I have no clue. The fact that Tony continued to push it should have told you all that you needed to know. The fact that you sold out Tony for a woman who was manipulating you with her mistreated little girl routine and a bullet that might as well have come from Eli David’s gun disgusts me.”

Morrow snorted unhappily and crushed his own empty cup in his hand as he glared at the angry NCIS Team Leader beside him. “You know, I remember the day that you came to me and practically ordered me to make sure no one poached DiNozzo from underneath you while he was at FLETC. When you told me about his former partner and the promise that you’d made him, I really believed that you had a chance at being everything Mike Franks never was. Unfortunately, it seems that you’ve decided to be just as manipulative and cowboy as he ever was.”

“Apparently, you’ve forgotten that I wasn’t appointed Director of NCIS. Jenny Shepard placed Ziva David on our team. I don’t know what the hell you’re trying to imply. I assume that you’re referring to Ari, but you must be slippin’ if you don’t know that I killed him. Ziva wasn’t even there.”

The fact that Gibbs thought he could hide his lie staring Tom straight in the eye told the Homeland Assistant Director and Homeworld Director all that he needed to know about where Gibbs’ ego was. “And apparently you have forgotten that I know how to read goddamned ballistics and forensics reports. There’s no way that you killed Ari. The bullet trajectory is all off from your position. So, cut the crap. You fucked up.

“You and I both know that you had options other than rolling over for Shepard. Hell, if you had put your weight behind Tony’s complaints Shepard would have had to remove her or come up with a goddamned good reason why she wasn’t. You and your ego have screwed the pooch and if I have my way neither you nor NCIS will be able to do it again.”

“Now you wait a damned minute,” Gibbs seethed, and Morrow thought that if he had been a cartoon character there would be smoke coming out of his ears right then. “DiNozzo is my agent, and he’ll leave my team when I say so.”

“Not if I can offer him something you will never be able to compete with. If you really cared about Tony, you wouldn’t push this. How safe do you think he’s going to be when Eli David finds out he was present when his daughter died, let alone what will happen if Tony really did kill her? You aren’t just going to be able to hide him at your house and hope that Eli’s too stupid to figure out where you live. The bottom line is that you created a situation that you can’t stop the consequence of any longer. The only option you have at this point is to step back, keep your damned mouth shut, and let those of us with the resources protect DiNozzo.”

“This got somethin’ to do with those three you brought with you that are no more Homeland agents than I am?” Gibbs asked with a surly sneer that signaled to Tom the other man knew he was beaten. The last thing Morrow needed though was to have Gibbs or worse yet Sciuto and McGee digging into something though and decided to make things perfectly clear to the former sniper.

“I am only going to say this once, Gibbs and for once you aren’t going to argue with me or question me. Those men I brought with me are Homeland agents. You aren’t going to look into them. You aren’t going to have Sciuto and McGee look into them. If you disregard me, and the three of you end up thrown in a hole somewhere and are never seen again, I won’t help you or even care. This is your one and only warning. Keep your nose out of it. Keep their noses out of it. Fix yourself. Cooperate with the investigation that is coming and make sure what’s left of your team does the same.”

Gibbs turned his head away, and for a long while, Tom thought it was the end of the discussion. When he spoke again though, Morrow figured he should have known what was left to pick at.

“Why the hell am I not being allowed to investigate this? Hell, you could have at least let Tobias investigate. He knows the team and the people involved.”

“And that is exactly why I made damned sure that Tobias Fornell would not be allowed to be included in this investigation. If it hasn’t already, it will soon be made very clear to him what will happen to him and his career if he sticks his nose into this. Jubal Valentine is one hell of an investigator, and better than that, he isn’t going to be bullied by you or anyone else. He’s going to find out answers that a lot of people at NCIS, including you, aren’t going to like, and frankly, I don’t give a shit. Stay away from this or pay the price. If even half of the rumors I’ve heard are true, you’d deserve just disappearing.”

Done with the conversation, believing that there wasn’t anything more he could say, Tom Morrow stood up, and after throwing away his empty cup, headed to his car. The team inside of the hospital didn’t need to be told to do their jobs. Tom needed to make a quick jaunt to the mountain. He had a general talk to about a new doctor, nurse, and agent for his program.


	2. Chapter 2

# Chapter Two

The next morning, Tom was at the hospital early to check up on Tony and meet with Eliot to find out how things were going security-wise. According to Spencer, things were quiet so far, but he wasn’t fooled into thinking it was going to stay that way very long. Mossad needed time to find out what happened and get the people they wanted inside the borders. They all knew it was only a matter of time before that happened. While he liked to think that the investigation would be kept quiet as it should until they had conclusive information, he was not naïve and understood that every major agency had their leaks.

Not that he thought Jubal would be spilling secrets. Morrow had been very happy to hear who the FBI Director chose for this operation when he learned about it. At first, Tom had been concerned that Tobias Fornell would be involved, and while he is a good agent, he’s too in Gibbs’ back pocket to be what they needed on this case. What they needed was someone who could not only stand up to Gibbs and tell him back off but was as willing to say the same to Eli David when he came poking his nose into things.

Anticipating this, Tom had a late-night meeting the night before with the president and some of his advisors to warn what could be coming. They were all in agreement that while officially they needed to be sympathetic to the Mossad Director’s grief, unofficially they all knew that he’d gotten himself into this position, and they would be breaking no policies for him. Tom had brought up his suspicion that Jenny Shepard was somehow going to have her fingers in this mess, and it was made clear that she would be quickly yanked at the slightest hint of impropriety on her part. The president also made it clear to SecNav that whomever they replaced her with better damned well not have close ties to another foreign intelligence agency.

That meant that Leon Vance would not be getting the promotion he had been eyeballing, and instead Morrow’s original choice, Owen Granger would most likely be getting the nod. Of course, that was all supposition and guesswork at that point. The investigation was in its very early stages, and they hadn’t even had time to verify Tony’s mostly incoherent claims that he had been the one to kill Ziva.

While Tom appreciated being kept in the loop as to what was going on, he was trying not to breathe down Special Agent Valentine’s neck. Most likely Gibbs and Shepard would be doing more than enough of that for him, themselves, along with several other people. Tom just hoped that Valentine was really as strong as his reputation suggested, because otherwise they all, and specifically Tony, would be screwed.

During his meeting with Pitt, Tom had put out some vague feelers about the man’s interest in joining the SGC. Of course, he couldn’t call it by name, and since it was really Jack’s call, he couldn’t even officially make an offer, but he’d felt that he needed some kind of idea if it was even worth trying. Tom would hate to take Tony out of Dr. Pitt’s indirect care, but knew that it would have to happen because chances were, they were going to need to remove Tony from the hospital for his safety well before he was ready to leave.

In that vein, Tom’s guest house was currently being transformed into everything the medical personnel would need to treat Tony, whoever they ended up being. Despite it being a rush job, Tom was still trying to keep it as quiet as possible. It wouldn’t serve to wave a red flag for Mossad to signal exactly where Tony was being kept. While Morrow was pretty confident that it wouldn’t take Mossad long to determine where Tony had been taken, he felt like his home was better defensible.

Having never married, and hating even the thought of neighbors in his business every day, Tom’s estate was out in the country surrounded by a high wall and the neighbors were far enough away that people would be able to beam in and out as well as have security patrolling around the property without making anyone nervous or upset.

Tom had been pleasantly surprised when Dr. Pitt hinted that under the correct circumstances and depending on who he would be allowed to bring with him, that he would indeed consider a transfer. Especially if it meant that he’d be allowed to continue to monitor Tony’s health. Confident that he had as much done as he could in DC to prepare for what was coming, Tom started his travel to the mountain, extending Col. Caldwell a nod in greeting before being beamed inside Cheyenne. Offering the people in the gate room a good morning, Tom made his way through the mountain, stopping in the mess for some coffee and a breakfast burrito to munch on as he made his way to General Jack O’Neill’s office.

O’Neill was a legend, and Tom had, in the beginning, been a little worried about how the two of them would get along. It was well known that Jack and Hammond were close and that Jack had been in the running to take over Homeworld. When the two of them met though, the first thing that Jack had done was shake his hand and thank him for saving him from more paperwork and endless meetings with stuffy politicians. In the end, it turned out that O’Neill was, while pretty much as people said, a man that Tom genuinely liked.

In fact, Morrow could see a lot of the things that he appreciated about Tony in Jack, and almost from the start had thought for that reason alone Tony would finally be able to find the place he deserved working alongside the General. If only Tom could get the Special Agent away from his very grumpy Team Leader. A week ago, Morrow had thought it would be impossible, but if the rumors and whispers were true, and if Tony really had killed Ziva David, Tom had more hope than ever that he’d be able to pry Tony away from NCIS and get him into a much more healthy and appreciative atmosphere.

“Morning, Jack. Sorry about the breakfast on the go. I appreciate the meeting. I know you’re busy.”

O’Neill just waved a hand as if to brush off the apology and waved to a chair at the small table in his office. Tom immediately moved to get settled, putting the folders that he’d been carrying under his arm in front of the other seat, the coffee he’d been carrying in front of himself, and quickly finishing off the burrito he’d been trying to eat. There had been a time when Tom could easily miss a meal on a busy day and not pay for it later, but that time was gone. So, after finishing off his meal, and wiping his hands on the handkerchief he kept in his inner pocket, he shook O’Neill’s hand after the man joined him.

“I really do appreciate you making some time for me. I have quite a mess already, and I have a feeling that it’s only going to get worse. I am hoping that you have room in your program for some new people.”

“I’m always happy to take in a stray or three,” Jack joked as he opened the top folder, which just happened to be Dr. Pitt’s. “Your email sounded urgent. I am always happy to put off doing more paperwork. Tell me what is going on, and why Pitt changed his mind. I remember his name from our last search when Janet died, but we were turned down. What’s changed?”

“In Pitt’s case specifically, my guess is that the offer didn’t include the correct people to accompany him. Specifically, the nurse he most frequently works with Emma Ingraham. Unless I am reading their vibes wrong, something is going on there that he wouldn’t want to leave behind. In addition to that, his favorite former patient is the specific reason why I am hoping that you can take him in. Bottom folder, Jack. Special Agent DiNozzo is one hell of an agent but is picky about what doctor he uses.

“If I read between the lines of hints DiNozzo has dropped over the years, he saw enough doctors who either refused to help him or allowed themselves to be bought off by his rich, abusive father that he doesn’t have a high opinion of the profession. On the other hand, he was a high performing college athlete and knows how important it is to take care of his body. I’ve heard people including his own team members suggest that he doesn’t take care of himself when he’s sick, but that’s not my experience.”

Morrow paused to take a drink of his coffee and wished that he had brought a second burrito. Instead, he’d have to make sure he made time in his busy day to grab something for lunch.

“After having a conversation with Tony when it was suggested to me that he’d slip out on necessary treatment, I learned a little about his trust issues and the fact that he tends to heal faster than most, which some doctors and co-workers don’t want to take into consideration. It’s not like he laid his entire childhood at my feet. I got enough detail though and a frank statement that as a former high performing athlete he knew the importance of taking care of his body. He’s just a little pickier than most people who he allows to help him do that.”

“So, this Dr. Pitt and his nurse, possible illicit love affair partner Nurse Emma Ingraham are being recruited to my team in hopes to do what with this Special Agent DiNozzo? What is going on there that you suddenly believe that he’ll want to leave NCIS and come here?”

“He was recently trapped in a shipping container for most of the day with a teammate. When they were found, Special Agent DiNozzo was shot and his teammate was dead. Per him, she died at his hands. I don’t have many details to share with you beyond the rumors and whispers that have been coming my way. Before my current position, I was the Director of NCIS, and I still have quite a few contacts there that keep me updated on the goings-on at the Navy Yard in particular.”

“If this agent killed his teammate, why would I want him in my command?” Jack asked sharply as he pulled Tony’s file from the bottom of the stack and flipped it open.

“Tony’s Team Leader is one of the orneriest people I have ever met in my life, who seems allergic to giving compliments unless you’re one of his daughter substitutes. Yet, he calls Tony the best young agent he’s ever worked with. I can tell you from my time watching them together, I would agree with him. I can also tell you that even without any evidence to back it up that there’s no way Tony killed Ziva David unless he was forced to.”

“David?” Jack questioned pausing in his review of the file and looking sharply at Tom. “Why does her name sound familiar?”

“Her father is Eli David, the Director of Mossad,” Tom answered simply and then let Jack go back to his perusing of the uncensored copy of Tony’s file that he’d brought the man.

“This file says that Special Agent DiNozzo is the Senior Field Agent on the Major Crime Response Team. Why would you put a Mossad Agent on an investigative team?” Jack asked looking up from the paperwork in front of him to frown in Tom’s direction.

“No clue,” Tom admitted as he watched Jack narrow his eyes before going back to his perusal of the file. “I didn’t, for the record. She was put in place by the current Director, Jenny Shepard. Her father is part of the reason why I hope you let me place DiNozzo here in the mountain.”

“I’d say that he’s going to be in danger if it is proven that he did kill her, but my guess is he’s in danger either way.” Jack supposed and Tom just tilted his head to one side already having thought and said similar.

“It’s not a secret that we could use an investigator around this place. I was thinking more than one, though. I mean, they’d need to cover the mountain, Area 51 and Atlantis. We’ve never been able to find the right people for the job though. I see that there’s an updated security clearance report in here. I assume that means you’ve been thinking about this for a while. When did this shooting happen?”

“Night before last,” Tom informed and frowned at his empty coffee wishing he had more of it as well.

“Feels like longer, but yes. I’ve been thinking Tony would be perfect for this place since I found out about the SGC and its lack of investigators. I have a couple ideas for partners for him. There’s an FBI agent who is a former Marine and an expert in battlefield forensics named Elijah Mundo. He and his wife recently split up after a freak accident killed their only child about a year ago. From what I have been able to find out he’s become restless at the FBI and has made noise about joining up again. I think that he’d be a good fit with Special Agent DiNozzo. I have a couple other people I have been eyeballing. I’d like them to have a real forensics person.

“There’s a CSI in Las Vegas who was at one time one of the top DNA specialists in the country that I think would be a perfect fit. There’s a younger FBI agent that they were eyeballing to someday be part of their top Behavioral Analysis Unit. Unfortunately, her adopted father, Jason Gideon, pissed her off and she has since jumped the FBI shift and come to Homeland, which is how she got on my radar. She also has a connection to Tony through his Team Lead Leroy Jethro Gibbs, who is her real father.

“If this investigative team works out, I can see us expanding to put an actual team at least on Atlantis and possibly one in Area 51, but that one I’m not as sure about. That’s all putting the cart before the horse though. Right now, I need to know if you’d accept Tony DiNozzo into the SGC as an investigator. He’d still answer to me to keep things on the up and up. If you agree, I will approach Agent Elijah Mundo as well. I can have his file forwarded to you for review. I’d like them both to start at the same time. Tony would be the lead between the two of them and anyone who was later added.”

Tom sat quiet, mostly bemoaning his lack of coffee and burrito, as he watched Jack review the three files in front of him. When he was done, he watched the other man sit back in his chair, and after a pause give a nod.

“I think I’ve already said that we tried to get Pitt in here once. If I’d known he turned us down cause he’s secretly knocking boots with one of the nurses, I would have assured him that he can bring her along. I will take your word on DiNozzo, but I would like to hold off on a final ok until the investigation into his teammate’s death is further along. I know that you believe he had his reasons, but I have to be able to justify why I brought him in. I’d like to think no one here will know about what happened, but I know how fast things are sniffed out around here.

“As to the others, I like the idea of Mundo and would definitely like to see his file. Technically, I could probably see about forcing him back into service, but I understand that he needs to be answerable to someone other than the immediate command structure in the mountain. I have no opinions on the other two and would need to see their files. So, two yeses, two maybes, and two no opinions based on a lack of info. Do you need the rest of Master Chief Spencer’s team to help with security for DiNozzo?”

When the door opened and two fresh cups of coffee along with two more breakfast burritos were brought in, Tom wondered if they had psychic’s amongst the staff. Not willing to bite the hand that was feeding him however, he instead took an appreciative bite before answering Jack’s question.

“Yes, actually, and another team possibly based on Sgt. Maj. Spencer’s security assessment. We’re going to move DiNozzo to my guesthouse as soon as possible. It’s not the perfect place to stash him, but I trust it more than I do the hospital.”

“Why not move him here? How badly is he hurt?” Jack questioned and Tom bought himself time on answering by taking a sip of his coffee.

Tom made a face as he thought about Tony’s condition before answering. “Bad enough that he’s still asleep more than he’s awake. Also, I would like to have him available for the investigation as long as possible. I have a feeling that things are going to be uncovered that will affect more than just Tony.”

“This about those rumors and whispers you mentioned?” Jack asked and Tom just nodded his answer as the files were handed back to him signaling his time with the General had come to an end.

“I’ll have those other files sent to you within 24 hours, and if you decide you’re interested we’ll start the vetting process. I appreciate this O’Neill. I think once he’s recovered, DiNozzo will truly be an asset to this program, and not only in an investigative manner. I’ve always thought that Tony would be one hell of an intelligence analyst and would like to see him offered more opportunities in that area.”

“Well, let’s hope that he agrees then. We can use all that help we can get in that area. While you’re here, you have time to go over some other things? I could use a couple second opinions.”

“As long as you keep the coffee coming,” Tom agreed and settled back into the seat happy he had time to finish off the second burrito as he got a rundown of what else was going on in the SGC.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Gibbs stood next to Special Agent Jubal Valentine at the FBI morgue watching as the ME pulled open the drawer containing Ziva’s body. While he wasn’t allowed to be part of the investigation in any way and was only being kept in the loop as a courtesy, his request to see his agent’s body had been granted providing that he agreed to have Valentine watch. Since the autopsy hadn’t been started yet, they needed to make sure someone involved in the investigation was nearby to make sure he didn’t do anything to the body.

For once, he wasn’t arguing. The conversation with Morrow had taken some of the air out of his sails. He knew that there were some that were suspicious of his non-actions, but truth be told there was no nefarious subplot. Finding out that Tony trusted him so little that he’d transferred his Medical POA to a man he rarely ever saw had been an eye-opener, and he found himself inside his own head trying to figure things out.

Lifting his hand, Gibbs started to brush some hair off Ziva’s face before catching himself. Forming his fingers into a fist, Gibbs dropped it to his side and offered Special Agent Valentine a quiet sorry for his lapse. The action subdued him further, and he couldn’t help thinking back to the "replacement daughter" comment Tom had made and knew that his former boss was thinking of more than just Abby when he said it.

The previous night, after it became clear that neither he nor any of the other members of the team would be allowed in to see Tony, he’d made them all leave the hospital. Then after getting home and eating a quick dinner of take-out he’d picked up from the diner, he’d gone down to his basement and poured himself a screw jar full of bourbon and set out to sand down his most recent project.

Gibbs was aware that there were some that thought he spent all of his time in his basement trying to pickle his liver. While it was true that the bottle was always on hand, it wasn’t cracked open every night. The beer in his fridge upstairs wasn’t just there for DiNozzo when he came over, and most nights neither were opened.

Really, the thing that he did most every night, and certainly anyone where he had something on his mind, was work with his hands. Usually, it was sanding a piece of wood for whatever project he had going. It was how he worked through whatever issue was on his mind. Like DiNozzo using his movies to make connections on cases, Gibbs used the soothing action of sanding a piece of wood to get rid of all the splinters and sharp edges to make connections in his own mind.

What Gibbs had come up with the night before was that he’d fucked up.

Somewhere along the line as his always intense case focus got homed in on Ari Haswari, and he’d forgotten everything that wasn’t his target. If you weren’t helping him put the man behind bars, then you weren’t important. Along that vein, if you were trying to get between him and the focus of his attention then you were bowled over or pushed out of the way.

More than once during the length of his hunt for Ari, Tony had made clear his dissatisfaction with what was going on. Between the quips about Captain Ahab or the dissatisfied looks, Tony made his feelings clear about his boss’s actions. When Ziva killed her brother, Gibbs unconsciously forgave her for any part she may have played in Kate’s death because she’d helped him achieve his goal. When Jenny placed her on the team, it hadn’t taken Gibbs long to see a woman with daddy issues thus causing him to overlook the problems it would cause.

Looking back now, Gibbs could guess that was of course exactly what Ziva wanted. He would like to think that at some point he would have pulled his head out of his own ass, but he knew himself well enough to recognize the unlikeliness of that. Chances were things would only have gotten worse. He would have continued to favor Ziva because somehow, he had equated that bullet of hers as her choosing him over her brother Ari, and in reverse, continued to discount his SFA because he hadn’t. Which was, Gibbs now knew, complete bullshit.

Between that and the ‘I love you/I hate you’ thing that he had going on with Jenny, Gibbs had become completely distracted from what was actually going on around him and specifically with his team. Looking back, he could see how Ziva had begun to manipulate everyone around her from the first day they’d met her.

The dinner party the other night was just one of the examples of her goal, which now that he looked back was pretty obvious. Her intention had been to alienate the rest of the team from DiNozzo and to isolate him from his support chain for some reason.

Gibbs couldn’t help but wonder how much of a hand Jenny had in all that, and if she was softening Tony up for something that she had planned in the future. Tony was a people person and didn’t deal with isolation well. He guessed it had something to do with an early childhood that was spent mostly on his own from the stories Tony told here and there since he’d met him. The problem in Ziva and Jenny’s plan though was that Tony wasn’t just rolling over and accepting Ziva because Gibbs said so.

Gibbs couldn’t help but wonder if Jenny was projecting her experience working with him as a partner onto Tony. It was like she assumed that because Gibbs himself had accepted Ziva’s presence with only a courtesy question or two that Tony would do the same thing just because that’s how things were.

The problem was though that Tony didn’t work that way. While Tony rarely pushed things in front of other people, there were moments when it was just the two of them in some abandoned hallway at the Navy Yard and regular visits to the basement when Tony would voice his displeasure with something Gibbs was doing. When Morrow was around, he’d been aware of those things, and it hadn’t been odd to see the Director pull Tony into his office to find out what was going on.

After Ziva had been placed on the team, Tony had tried numerous times to reason with Gibbs that she didn’t belong on the team, that she was a liability to the team, or that her placement on the team was highly suspect. Every time Gibbs had ignored him, eventually getting rather sharp the last visit and making it clear that he supported the placement and expected Tony to just shut his mouth and get with the program.

Snorting and shaking his head, Gibbs knew that was the very moment when Tony had realized his boss was no longer someone he could trust. He wouldn’t be surprised if he learned that the very next morning his Senior Field Agent had set about changing his paperwork and started making the plans he would need if he had to exit NCIS in a hurry.

“He was right,” Gibbs murmured shaking his head as he glared down at Ziva.

“You had no place on the team, and I should have listened. You weren’t trained for the work we do, and your every action was done with the purpose of achieving your goal whatever it was. I picked Tony for my team, I only overlooked your placement and didn’t push when I should have. If I lose Tony from my life over this, that is what I will regret. Your death is the result of your own actions. While I am sorry you died, I won’t regret that Tony lived instead.”

Turning away from her, Gibbs looked at Special Agent Valentine who was watching him with an unreadable expression on his face. “I know I’ve been an ass, and I apologize for that. I’m willing to answer whatever questions you have. In fact, I think that there are some things that you should know about Ziva and her placement on my team. As much as I hate to think it because Jenny Shepard was my probie, I have a feeling that somehow she has a hand in whatever happened.”

“Apology accepted, Special Agent Gibbs,” Jubal Valentine offered shaking the man’s hand when it was offered. “I do have some more questions since the last time we talked, and some others I would like to go over again. We’ve all had our heads up our asses at some point in our careers. I just want to find the truth about what happened in that shipping container. Did Special Agent Tony DiNozzo murder his teammate because he believed she didn’t belong on his team or did something else happen before it that prompted him to kill her to save his own life? That is all I care about, and if I find out anything else while looking for that answer, you can bet I will look for those answers as well.”

Nodding, Gibbs followed Jubal out of the morgue, pausing at the doorway to see the ME closing the door to where Ziva lay. He couldn’t help but feel like finally, something terrible was over. Now, he just needed to do his best to get Tony out of the mess Gibbs’ indifference had gotten him into and see if maybe he could fix what he’d broken in their friendship.

Gibbs couldn’t help but think just maybe it really would all work out all on its own. For once, he thought maybe it would be best for him to just sit back and let the FBI agent do his job. It would give him time to work some things he’d been avoiding, like his grief over Kelly and Shannon’s deaths. If Ziva David wasn’t a clear indication that it was interfering with his judgment, nothing was.

He’d already ordered McGee and Abby to stay out of things. If they didn’t from this point forward, there was nothing he could do about it. It was becoming more and more apparent that he needed some space to get his head together and do some more thinking. Then, maybe it would be time he parted ways with NCIS. Maybe Morrow would have a place for him at Homeland, or just maybe he’d get on his boat and sail off into the sunset.

Once he knew Tony was safe that was. Tony was his primary focus. He’d forgotten that for a while, but now that he remembered he wasn’t leaving until he knew his agent and friend was safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I write fanfiction for fun. It's a hobby and a stress relief. I refuse to angst over my writing. What you see is what you get. Errors, plot holes, and all. Thank you for reading my story!


	3. Chapter 3

# Chapter Three

Tony felt like he had been caught in an endless nightmare of killing or being killed by Ziva in a damned shipping container broken up only by very short incoherent moments by strangers in hospitals. This time when he woke up it was with a gasp of shock as his bullet pierced Ziva’s forehead as her bullet narrowly whizzed past his ear.

“Ziva! Why’d you make me…”

“Tony, it’s ok. It’s just a nightmare. It’s over. You’re safe. Come on, open your eyes, Buckeye. It’s time you ended this slumber party.”

“Dirty, Wolverine,” Tony complained as he opened his eyes and looked toward the sound of Brad’s voice, frowning when he couldn’t figure out where he was. “Where m’I? Drink?” He asked before coughing and almost panicking again.

“Easy, Tony. It’s just a minor cough.” Tony heard and turning his head away from Brad, saw Nurse Emma on the other side of his bed.

“Emma m’love,” he said in greeting before sucking happily on the straw she was holding in front of his mouth.

“Not too much, Tony, and I thought we agreed that I was Brad’s. To the winner goes the spoils and all that?”

“Cheated,” Tony insisted as he turned to mock glare at Brad. “Broke m’leg. Ser’ously, where are we. Not a hospital.” Already he was yawning again though as Brad and Emma took his vitals and talked quietly.

“You’re someplace safe, Tony. The next time you wake up though I think you’ll be awake longer. Go back to sleep. I’ll let Tom know you should be ready to talk soon.”

“Tom?” Tony asked, but already his eyes were shutting. As he was being pulled back to sleep, he heard a distinctive twang that had been breaking into his dreams here and there. He really wanted to know who it belonged to because there was something quite comforting about it.

The next time Tony opened his eyes, Tom Morrow was sitting at a table not far from his bed working on a laptop. He must have made a noise as he woke up, and he assumed that it had something to do with the shock of the bullet hitting him in his dreams. “Tony?” Tom asked before standing and crossing the short distance to his bedside.

Tony was vaguely aware of someone leaving the room but didn’t look away from his former Director. When the older man picked up a nearby glass and held the straw to his lips, Tony was grateful. “How do you feel, Tony?”

“Like I’ve been shot, and half froze and then almost shot again,” Tony grumped back as Brad came in with Nurse Emma.

When Tom went to leave, it was with a promise that he’d return when the Doctor and Nurse were done. “If you’re still awake we’ll talk then.”

After answering what felt like a hundred questions, and frowning through having some blood drawn, Tony was happy to prop himself up higher into more of a sitting position. Brad promised they had some soup and tea coming if Tony could stay awake. Promising that he felt like he would be awake for a while, Tony was eager to get something in his stomach and find out what was going on. It was very apparent that he was not in a hospital, and from the looks of the guy who followed Tom into the room, things had happened while he’d been out of it.

“Tom, what’s going on?” Tony asked before taking another sip of water.

“I know you have questions, but there’s an FBI agent here that needs to talk to you. Things are in a holding pattern at the moment, and he’s been hanging around hoping that he could catch you the next time you woke up.”

“You’ll stay?” Tony asked watching Tom’s eyebrow lift a little. “I know I’m a grownup agent and everything, but I feel a little fuzzy. I’m jus’ gonna have to answer most of the same questions for you anyway. You might as well hear the answers the first time. The agent can come in. I don’t wanna hold up his investigation. It’s not Fornell? I assume you would have said his name if he was running the case.”

“Director Hutchinson felt like there was too much of a conflict of interest, and assigned someone from the New York City office,” Tom explained as a man wearing a face he’d seen somewhere between nightmare and consciousness walked into the room.

“Tony, this is Special Agent Jubal Valentine. His team is investigating the case.”

“You’re a hard man to catch awake, Special Agent DiNozzo,” Jubal offered with a smile as he held out his hand for a handshake. “I don’t know if it will make you feel better, but Special Agent Fornell did hunt me down to make sure I knew you were a hell of an agent.”

“Fornell’s ok I guess,” Tony admitted yawning slightly and was about to take another sip of water when Emma came in with two mugs.

“Tony’s here’s your broth and your tea. They’ll help your throat. It’s probably a little raw. Just holler if you need something or send one of the guys out. Brad and I aren’t far away.”

Immediately, Tony took a sip of the tea and hummed happily as the warmth did soothe his throat. “I’m sorry I’ve held up your investigation. I know you’re probably about to ask, so let me just say I don’t need a representative. I’d just like Tom to hang around. I don’t wanna have to go over this nightmare more times than I have to.”

“Fair enough,” Jubal agreed and took out a recorder to tape their conversation.

“This is Special Agent Jubal Valentine interviewing Special Agent Tony DiNozzo for the first time in regard to the shooting of Mossad Officer Ziva David. Special Agent DiNozzo, whenever you’re ready, can you tell me about your day? How did you end up in the shipping container?”

“We were ambushed,” Tony said his voice huskier than normal because of his sore throat. Taking another drink of the tea, he looked around the room and found a window nearby that he could look out of.

“I’d gotten a tip while Ziva and I were talking to a witness that suggested we’d find something at the port. When we got there though it turned out to be an ambush. There was no way that we were going to make it out on our own because we were seriously outnumbered. There was an open shipping container that I suggested we use for cover. Once we were inside, I shut the door. Stupid, ‘cause they just bolted us in, but if I hadn’t we would have been dead. There were more of them than us and Ziva couldn’t seem to hit any of them.”

“You were conscious of the fact that her shots weren’t hitting their mark?” Special Agent Valentine asked, and Tony shrugged.

“It was chaotic, so I wouldn’t bet my life on it. I’m pretty good at keeping track of how many people I hit in relation to how many people are shooting at us. All the people I aimed at went down, and I didn’t see any others that seemed hit so… I assume that she didn’t hit any of her marks.”

“How did Officer David react to being in the shipping container?”

“She freaked the fuck out,” Tony offered frankly then frowned. “Sorry, that was mean.”

“I’m not concerned about how it sounds, Special Agent DiNozzo. I just want to know the truth about what happened and your observations of the events.”

Tony nodded and bought himself a moment by trying the broth before speaking again. “Yeah, ok. She was visibly freaked out by being trapped in the container. I asked her if she was claustrophobic, and she denied it, but I didn’t buy it. She said that she was just pissed off that I’d gotten us trapped and proceeded to insult my intelligence. It was obvious that it was a lie though. She was freaked out and didn’t seem to be thinking completely rationally.

“I tried getting a signal, but the metal of the box was interfering with it. I started poking around in the crates to see what was in them and found some Bollywood movies. I was making some jokes trying to loosen things up, maybe calm her down when she made a comment about shooting out the bolt on the door. I turned around and said that would be a really bad idea, but she wasn’t listening and took the shot anyway.”

“I want to make sure I am understanding correctly,” Jubal interrupted, and Tony turned his eyes away from the window to look at the FBI agent again. “You were trapped in a steel shipping container, and Officer David discharged her weapon in an attempt to shoot out the pin at the bottom of the doors?”

“Yeah, apparently they do things differently in Mossad. They have magical bullets that can penetrate steel or something.” When Morrow snorted, Tony turned his attention to the man and offered a shrug with his good shoulder before looking back to the window and continuing his story. He couldn’t help but lay a hand over the bullet wound he knew was in his left shoulder.

“When she realized that she’d hit me freaked out some more. Honestly, for a second, I thought that she was going to shoot me again. I remember going down and hit my head pretty good on the floor of the container. When I came to, she was standing over me cursing in Hebrew. I am guessing she was calling me more names. I’ve started to learn Hebrew to try and figure out what she’s saying, but I’m only a couple months in.”

“Why did you think she was going to shoot you again?” Jubal asked calmly and this time Tony didn’t look his way.

“I thought she said something about killing the cow. She had her gun still in her hand and her finger was on the trigger. Her eyes were… I dunno. She just looked like she was debating something. By the time my head cleared though she’d put her gun away and was saying something about a bleeding cow. She’s really bad at American sayings. Eventually, we got my sweater off and used that to try and stop the bleeding”

“So, you were shot, but you used your sweater to try and stop the bleeding leaving you with only your coat to wear?” Jubal verified and Tony looked to Tom whose face was completely blank of emotion.

“She’s from Israel. It’s hot there. She doesn’t… didn’t like the cold.” Tony offered in way of explanation.

“I… ok, what next?” Special Agent Valentine asked, and Tony started his story back up after finishing off his tea.

“I laid on the floor for a while bracing my feet up on the side of a crate, but I got bored. So, after a while, I got up and started investigating ‘cause I realized that the container was too short. Ziva managed to get into the false wall and eventually found what I suspect was counterfeit money in a box marked explosives. She wanted to burn it, but I pointed out that would be stupid because the container would only get filled with smoke. I have bad lungs and didn’t need the irritation.

“She spent more time cursing me out, and eventually we got the idea to shove money out one of the holes to try and get someone’s attention. Since I had to sit anyway, I got up to sit on top of a crate while she rolled up money. After a while, I got the idea to use her necklace and one of the Bollywood movie boxes to make a longer antenna so I could try and get Gibbs. By the time I got the Boss though we were at our destination.”

Tony stopped and swallowed heavily and gritted his teeth to stop himself from showing his emotions. Brad must have him on some kind of pain medicine because his shoulder didn’t hurt as much as it should, and it felt like he was seconds from flying apart. Normally, he had much better control of himself. You didn’t spend as much time undercover as he did and survive by being easy to read.

“What happened then?” Valentine asked and Tony shook his head and took a deep breath, which just made himself cough. After a brief visit from Emma, Tony was finally settled down again and started the last part of his story. Valentine offered to wait, but Tony needed to get the last bit out. Someone other than him had to know.

“You have to understand that I haven’t exactly been quiet about my opposition to Ziva’s placement on the team,” Tony started, and this time turned his attention to Morrow. His opinion was really the one that mattered to him. As long as Tom believed that he’d only taken the shot to save his life, Tony knew he’d be ok.

“I couldn’t figure out why the hell Gibbs was going along with it. Not for sure anyway. I had a suspicion, and evidence to support my thinking, but Gibbs refused to talk about it. Instead, he seemed to be willing to just roll over and accept his ex-fling putting the handler of Kate’s murderer on our team. Even if Ziva hadn’t been Ari’s handler, which she was, it was obscene and made no freaking sense!”

Tony growled, which only irritated his throat, and forced him to finish off the broth before he could continue. “Ziva was a Mossad Officer. She was trained to kill people and use her body to steal information. She had zero investigative experience. Hell, Shepard didn’t even make her go to FLETC! From what I could find out due to my own system access level as the team’s Senior Field Agent, she had the same system clearance as the rest of us, which was a serious red flag.

“She constantly broke the law saying it didn’t make sense and it wasn’t how Mossad did it. She openly tried to create friction on the team by playing to McGee’s ego and having stupid dinner parties that didn’t involve everyone. She was forever trying her little seductress routine on me, and most of the time it made me wanna puke. I usually went along with it to amuse myself, but sometimes it was just irritating.”

Tony scoffed at the thought but went on after making a face at her really bad flirting. “She drove company vehicles and touched evidence, broke into homes, and half her reports were submitted in Hebrew! No one seemed to give a fuck that she was a liability to not just the MCRT but the entire agency. God only knows what she was doing with that system access of hers. Nobody would listen to me though. I’d been batting around the idea of calling JAG and just laying it all in Harm’s lap when we caught this case.

“Apparently, someone had told Ziva that I was creating waves. After the shipping container stopped someone started yelling at us to come out. Ziva took a shot at someone’s foot, and she thought she hit them, but that only slowed them down for a little while. Eventually, they pulled the doors open and started shooting what sounded like automatic weapons at us. Ziva and I were huddled behind this crate. I was pretty lightheaded and having problems staying focused. So, I didn’t notice at first that she stopped shooting. When I did, I turned my head to see what she was doing to find her glaring at me.

“She started raving how I had been nothing but a skull ache and this would be the perfect time to make sure that I didn’t ruin either her plans or Jenny’s. I was going to ask her what the hell she was talking about when she swung her weapon my way. I… I fell back and tried to kick it out of her hand but missed. I think I got her face or shoulder or something. She fell back but didn’t lose her weapon. I scrambled back to the other side of the container and got my weapon up just in time. I don’t know who got off a shot first. I’m pretty sure her shot went into the crate next to my head. I knew mine hit home, but I don’t…. I fell back and hit my head again.”

Tony took a deep breath and was relieved to see sympathy and faith on Morrow’s face. “I didn’t like her, but I didn’t want to kill her. I wasn’t about to die at her hand though. She helped her brother murder Kate. I wanted her in prison, but I’m not sorry she died instead of me.”

When he was done, Tony looked to Special Agent Valentine, who seemed to be watching him. “I have one more immediate question. I may have some later as the investigation unfolds, but for right now I just have to clear up one thing. You mentioned the dinner party. It was suggested that you killed Officer David because you were jealous that you weren’t invited to the party. That somehow you must have found out and got pissed because you didn’t like that Ziva was better liked than Kate had been. So, when you saw a chance to get rid of her, you took it.”

“That must be McGee,” Tony guessed with a snort. “His former booty call, that would be Abby, was the one who called me to tell me about the party. Ziva had been on her shit list until then. Suddenly, instead of urging me to keep going, I was being a big meanie and it was my own fault I didn’t get an invite. As far as I was concerned it was just more evidence to what I had been saying all along. I bitched about it for a while, but then put it out of my mind. I had plans anyway. Ask Brad or the others. Some friends I play ball with on the weekends came over to watch the fight at my place.

“One of them asked how things were going because they knew I was upset with a new coworker. Ziva tried to throw it in my face when we were on our way to the scene. The whole thing is stupid. I hate her. I didn’t hide the fact I didn’t want her on the team. Why would I wanna go to a dinner party? I didn’t even wanna go to the scene with her, but Gibbs insisted that we “work things out”.”

Tony just snorted and shook his head. “That really worked out well, huh?”

Pretending that he didn’t see Valentine and Morrow sharing a look, Tony made an excuse about being tired and shut his eyes. Maybe, now that he’d verbalized some demons, he could get some sleep without nightmares. Belatedly, he realized that he’d been wanting to talk to Morrow alone and find out just where the hell he was, but the Sandman had already caught him and pulled him down into dreamland.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

When Morrow saw how much the discussion with Jubal had wiped out Tony, he decided to put off the talk he needed to have with him one more day to give the man some time to sleep. So, instead of hanging around his guest house all day, he got changed and went into his office in the Pentagon with Special Agent Valentine accompanying him to discuss some other things he wanted to share in an environment where he knew it would only be the two of them.

On the way out of the guesthouse, Tom stopped and had a conversation with Brad about revising his timeline on when to tell Tony about the bigger secret while Jubal made calls to his team outside. The consensus that Tom and Dr. Pitt eventually came to was that while Tony still would need some mental therapy before being released into the field, the event hadn’t been as mentally traumatic as they feared.

Having to shoot your co-worker was always going to be something of a mental mindfuck, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as their worst-case scenario which had been Tony having shot her and then getting trapped in a shipping container with her dead body all day. With that decided, Tom made a quick call to O’Neill to advise him that Daniel Jackson’s presence would be appreciated the next day understanding that would automatically include O’Neill and Major Davis and his mile-high NDA.

Tom and Jubal were sitting in front of Tom’s desk going through some of the concerns that Jubal’s team had come up with in the early days of the investigation. The first had been the disappearance of Officer David and Tony’s PCs along with some data from the server that looked like it had been altered. Jubal was explaining that they had put out a bolo for the NCIS Cyber Team manager when Tom received an alert from security that the very man, they were talking about was at the front gates asking to speak with him.

To say that Tom was a little surprised that Special Agent Francis Lagina had gotten himself wrapped up in something of an understatement. While Franco came off as a nervous man with his stutter that worsened when he was agitated and his preference for computers of people, he also knew that the man was as honest as the day was long. Lagina was a bulldog when it came to anything digital, and his people were fiercely loyal to him. After authorizing security to escort the man to his office, Tom sat back and waited to see what his former agent had to say.

Special Agent Lagina came into his office and after Tom waived away security, approached Tom’s desk pulling two bags that Morrow knew were used to store digital evidence and placed them on his desk. He then followed it up with an evidence bag that looked to hold some thumb drives.

“I… I know that you will have to arr…arrest me now, and I accept that” Franco declared as defiant as Tom had ever seen the man. “But… But I had to do what…what I thought was right. I’m... I’m not going to let that w…woman railroad DiNozzo or… or make it look like he…he was in the wr…wrong.”

“Take a breath, Franco,” Tom said calmly waiving to the empty chair in front of his desk next to Jubal. “Have a seat next to Agent Valentine, and I’ll get you some water. Tell us what’s going on and then we’ll talk about repercussions.”

After Franco had sat down, Tom got up and grabbed three bottles of water from the mini-fridge he had in his office. Giving one each to his visitors, he cracked open the third and took a sip buying the NCIS agent time to calm down. “Better?” Tom asked and when Franco nodded, he continued.

“Now, no one in this office wants to railroad Tony or anything else. Agent Valentine here is running the investigation. He was just asking me some questions from things I remembered from my time as Director at NCIS, but he mentioned that you’d gone missing with some PCs and some information was compromised.”

“That Mc…McGee!” Special Agent Lagina swore, and Tom just lifted an eyebrow as the other man took another deep breath and drink of his water visibly trying to calm down.

“The hard…hard drives from both Special Agent DiNozzo and Officer David’s PCs are in those bags. They’re labeled and have been in my pos…possession since I left NCIS yesterday af…afternoon when Director Shepard went into meetings in MTAC. I…I’ve done my best to ensure the ev…evidence is still immiscible in court if needed.”

“Why did you take them in the first place?” Jubal asked and Tom just lifted an eyebrow at Franco wanting to know the same himself.

“Yesterday Director Shepard sent me an email ordering me to retrieve Officer David’s computer and make sure it is wiped down and ready for re…reuse. I reminded her that there was an active investigation going on by…by an outside agency and per policy, we were not to touch the computers until that inves…investigation had been resolved.

“She… she advised me that she was my bo…boss not Agent Valentine and her instructions were to clean off the computer. I… I responded that I wasn’t com…comfortable with that. At…at that point she came to my…my office and ordered me to comply with her orders to wipe the PC or she’d… she’d get Special Agent Mc…McGee to do it for her and I would be…be relieved of my duties as Cyber Team Manager.”

“I… I knew that there was something fishy going on. I heard my people…people gossiping that she’s been freaking out since… since Gi…Gibbs told her what happened. When… when she found out that… that Gibbs had been replaced as DiNozzo’s Medical POA she…she freaked out even more. I… I don’t… don’t trust McGee. Everyone in Cyber knows that he’s… he’s got his eye on the director’s chair and thinks he’s some Cyber hotshot even though I have at least two people on my team alone that are better than him.

“I didn’t… didn’t trust that he wouldn’t cave if She… Director Shepard ordered him to mess with something. So… So, when I pulled Officer David’s PC I pulled Special Agent DiNozzo’s as well. While I was doing that, I ran… ran some searches and saved some information that seemed… seemed relevant to the things I know Di…DiNozzo has been complaining about. Tony… Tony is good people, Tom. I… I don’t know what happened in that shipping container, but I know he didn’t kill her unless he had to.”

When Franco just looked at Jubal and lifted his chin in defiance, Tom almost choked on his water. This was the most defiant he’d seen Lagina about anything as long as he’d known the man.

“Arrest me if you have to, Agent Valentine. Tony’s helped a lot of people at NCIS, me included. I… I thought we’d lost my son completely after his accident. He… he was a star basketball player when he got hit by a drunk driver and found out he’d never walked again. Thanks… Thanks to Tony he now is still a star basketball player and… and may be chosen for the next Special Olympics. There’s p…pr…probably dozens of stories like that in the Yard. D…David never did anything but curse me and my… my people and had access way above what she should have been allowed.”

“When my people investigated that claim it didn’t reflect that,” Valentine pointed out and Franco huffed angrily.

“St…stupid McGee probably changed it. For…Fortunately that stuff is part of what I have on the thumb drives. I’m… I’m willing to… to take the hit for what I did. As long as Tony’s safe from that… that woman that’s all I care about. I owe him.”

“If you owe him, how do we know that you didn’t alter the evidence to reflect what you wanted?” Jubal asked Tom guessed playing devil’s advocate, but Franco didn’t seem phased.

“If I did… did that then your cyber people will find it. I… I bet McGee won’t be as willing to say… say the same. That glory hound will hide… hide behind the Director’s skirts and Gibbs’ coff… coffee cup and scream he didn’t… didn’t do anything wrong. Shit went down… downhill fast when Director Morrow left. Hope… hopefully, they make… make a better decision whomever they bring in next.”

Tom watched as Jubal and Franco studied each other before Valentine stood and motioned Carlson to follow. “I won’t put you in cuffs. Right now, you’re a witness. You’ll have to come back to the Hoover Building with me though so my team can ask you some questions and look over the evidence you brought. I’m not making any promises, but if you really didn’t alter anything, and if we can back up your claims that Shepard is trying to interfere with the investigation, I’ll do what I can for you. All I want is the truth.”

“That’s what we all want I think, Jubal,” Tom inserted before offering the men a good day as they left his office. Shaking his head, Tom couldn’t help but smile when he thought about the kind of people DiNozzo drew to him. Most people couldn’t tolerate Lagina because his stutter frustrated them, and his lack of people skills irritated them especially when his fuse got shorter after his son’s accident.

Tony though looked for the whys of all that and befriended not just the man but helped to improve his son’s life. Tom wasn’t aware that Tony was trying to help the kid get on the Special Olympics team but wasn’t surprised either that he was doing it or that he had a contact in that area. DiNozzo’s contacts were legendary and Morrow knew that Franco Lagina wouldn’t be the only one coming out of the woodwork to help if there was any hint of unfairness to Tony in this investigation. Tom doubted that he’d even need to use any of his own contacts if things turned for the worse. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t willing to do so, however.

Pushing Tony and the investigation to the back of his mind for the moment, Tom turned his attention to some much-needed paperwork. The next day would be busy and he needed to clear some things off his desk for whatever may happen when DiNozzo found out about the SGC and its secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I write fanfiction for fun. It's a hobby and a stress relief. I refuse to angst over my writing. What you see is what you get. Errors, plot holes, and all. Thank you for reading my story!


	4. Chapter 4

# Chapter Four

Tony’s nightmares had changed. Ziva’s voice had been muted as his mind waffled between him killing her and her killing him. In the background, almost like a soundtrack, there was this husky voice singing country music which was odd because country wasn’t generally a genre that Tony listened to. This singer though was amazing, and Tony could almost see his words soothing the ragged edges on Tony’s mind.

He woke up in the middle of the night. The room was dark, and the window was partially blocked by the body standing in it looking outside. The uniform the man was wearing had a patch on the shoulder that Tony couldn’t place but could see enough to know he didn’t recognize it. He was definitely a soldier though. If the uniform he was wearing didn’t clue him in, the automatic weapon that he was using did.

The soldier was a good 3 to 4 inches shorter than Tony was with long dark hair that touched his shoulders. To Tony, it screamed some kind of Special Ops team because amongst the various branches he knew they were all almost universally given more leeway in their looks. If the song coming off his lips was any indication, this was the source of the music that had suddenly started to dominate Tony’s dreams. He couldn’t place whatever the man was singing at the moment, but it sounded somewhat melancholy seeming to be about someone you let go.

When the song seemed to be finished, Tony couldn’t resist a soft clap drawing the man’s attention. “You have an amazing voice,” Tony complimented drawing the man’s attention. “I’m guessing that you are the source of the soundtrack that’s taken up residence in my dreams.”

“Oh, uh thanks,” the man offered before clicking his headset and advising he was checking on the package. “Sorry ‘bout that. I didn’ mean to disturb you.”

“Oh please, no disturbing. I meant it when I said I was enjoying it. Was there one about a Native American who killed a woman’s father and she ran away with him? That one’s my favorite.”

“Spirit Boy,” the man offered almost bashfully as he stepped up next to the bed and held out his hand. “Sergeant Major Eliot Spencer at your service Special Agent DiNozzo. M’glad my songs have helped. I admit it’s mostly me tryin to fill the silence in the middle of the night. It’s a bad habit I’ve never quite been able to fully break.”

“Please, it’s Tony, Sergeant Major Spencer. There’s no one around right now to care about us being formal. You really have helped.” Now that the man was closer, Tony could just barely make out the patch and knew it wasn’t one he was familiar with, which he found intriguing. It made him want to ask questions that he knew Sergeant Major Spencer wouldn’t appreciate or be allowed to answer. So, instead, he kept his mouth shut.

“Then call me Eliot. You should go back to sleep. Doc says you’re still battlin’ a li’l bit of infection.”

“M’tired of sleeping,” Tony protested as he yawned and then rolled over. He could sense Eliot moving back to the window, and when he started singing Spirit Boy, Tony found himself drifting into sleep with a smile on his face.

The next time Tony woke up, he felt more alert and awake than he had been. Eliot was gone, and in his place was First Sergeant Matthew Simmons whom Tony found out was the second in command of the team of 7. Before he could find out more though, Brad and Emma came in for his checkup, which saw Matthew exiting as Tony endured the poking and prodding of his friend and his favorite nurse.

Once they were done and he’d been helped back into his bed after a quick trip to the bathroom, Tom Morrow came in as Emma was helping him get resettled sitting up straighter. After promising she and Brad were well within earshot, she left with First Sergeant Simmons following her out at Morrow’s request. “It sounds like you’re starting to feel better, Tony. I’m glad to hear that.”

Tony squirmed to find a more comfortable position wincing as he jarred his shoulder and ribs. Morrow arched an eyebrow at him as Tony swore under his breath. Tony almost regretted asking Brad to hold off on the next round of pain meds so that he would have a clearer head for his talk. He was hoping that if he got some answers, his nightmares would start to settle down.

“Shoulder and ribs hurt like a bitch,” Tony admitted touching it absentmindedly, “but Brad thinks that the infection that had set in is mostly gone.”

“He thinks once this course of antibiotics is done, I’ll be able to stop that. The shoulder and the ribs are what they are for the moment, but he says he might have more information for me, but we have to talk about something before he can get into that. Which is weird, because I wasn’t aware you were a doctor, Sir. Are you moonlighting on me?”

Tony watched Tom chuckle and took a deep breath trying to settle his nerves wincing at the pain it caused his ribs. “Not so much, but I do have something I need to go over with you. I have asked a couple people to join us to help with that, but I wanted to be able to talk to you alone before that happened. I know you have questions and I thought maybe I’d have a better chance at finding out how you really are if we were alone.

“You know, when you asked me to be your Medical Power of Attorney, you promised you’d explain when we could get together. I know my schedule has been hectic, but you didn’t have to get yourself shot to arrange a talk. You’ve known where my house is for a while, son. Knowing your luck though I should have known better.”

Tony rolled his eyes at his former director who was smirking at him. “Har, har,” Tony offered with a fake laugh and couldn’t help but smirk as Morrow outright laughed at him.

“Seriously though, I do appreciate that you did this without much explanation. I dunno, maybe I need to join the Dionne Warrick Psychic Friends Network. Things just… It seems like NCIS went to hell in a handbasket really quick and when I realized I couldn’t trust Gibbs I didn’t know where else to turn. I’ve known for a while that Gibbs has a weak point when it comes to women who show daddy issues, but I never expected something like the current crap fest going on right now. What’s going on with the investigation? How much trouble am I in? Hell, I don’t even know how long it’s been.”

“It’s been about almost a week. Today is day six since the incident. The FBI has mostly determined that you were defending yourself. I think they have a report or two they’re waiting on, but I’m not worried at this point. They found the bullet from when Ziva shot at you, and as Special Agent Valentine, dead women can’t shoot their guns. So, it was obvious that you were defending yourself.

“There were already some questions about how she managed to not hit anyone at the original scene. I think there’s an investigation going on to see if Mossad had some ties to your perps. There’s been a few other situations develop stemming from things they found while doing their due diligence.”

“Like what?” Tony asked as he reached for the glass of water on the tray over his bed.

“There are some pretty serious questions for Shepard about why she placed Officer David on your team. For that matter, it’s puzzling why she even allowed her into NCIS, to begin with. It’s been speculated that there was an ulterior motive to that, but we’ll see.

“McGee is being looked at for possibly trying to alter some evidence. I wish I didn’t have to say this, but you deserve the truth. He tried to insinuate that you’d shot Officer David because you were jealous about some dinner party you weren’t invited to, but everyone else was. Gibbs seems to have gotten an idea how far he’d lodged his head up his own ass and appears to be trying to extract it, but we’ll see about that too.”

“And Abby?” Tony asked somewhat reluctantly, trying to pretend that hearing McGee accuse him of murder didn’t hurt worse than his shoulder and ribs.

“I don’t know much about her except that she didn’t take the whole thing well,” Tom admitted with a sigh. “Gibbs called me to let me know if you asked that she’s put in for a sabbatical and is going to be staying with her nuns for a while. They have a therapist in residence that is going to see her.”

Tony turned his attention away from Tom for a moment to study the blanket covering him. When he realized how bad things had gotten at NCIS, he didn’t at first know what to do. It wasn’t until Brad had asked him if he really still trusted Gibbs to make the right decisions on his behalf that it occurred to Tony that he needed to make some big choices and quick.

During the recovery from the plague, Brad Pitt had become a friend and someone that Tony felt he could trust to tell him the truth and not just what he needed to hear. Brad had revealed to him his secret relationship with Nurse Emma, and Tony in return told him about as much as he could concerning his frustrations with his team. When Kate died, Brad helped to keep his head on straight. Tony appreciated it, afraid that he would have crawled into a bottle otherwise no matter how much his parents’ drinking problems affected him.

Despite the friendship that was growing between them though, Brad was just out of town too much to be used as a Medical Power of Attorney. So, when the issue came up, Tony had a hard time trying to figure out who to replace Gibbs with. The fact that he had to replace him at all had been a blow that took almost a week to get over. One of the things that had occurred to him while he was making his decision was that with how little he could trust NCIS, he might need someone that could watch out for more than his health. Tom Morrow had been a late-night inspiration.

Tony’s lawyer had thought he was crazy, but he’d been firm about his choice. In all of his time at the PDs and then NCIS, Morrow was one of the people Tony respected the absolute most. He might be pretty no-nonsense and gruff, but he cared about his people and Tony knew he could trust the man to find out the truth of whatever situation Tony was caught in. The change had been made and the papers were delivered a little more than a month prior. Even Tony hadn’t anticipated that his former Director would have to use the new paperwork so quickly.

“I really appreciate you doing this, Tom,” Tony expressed quietly turning his gaze back to the older man. “I think maybe I should have followed you to Homeland after all and fuck the Ari situation. Who knows what that would have changed. Hell, maybe Kate would even still be alive.”

“No,” Tom said sternly. “You aren’t doing that. Kate’s death was in no way your fault. You told me that you talked to someone about that and got your head on straight. You know, Tony…”

When Tom trailed off in the middle of his sentence, Tony almost spoke up, but seeing the concerned look on the man’s face decided to stay quiet and wait. “If anyone else in the world had called me and asked me to be their Medical POA outside of my family and a handful of close friends, I would have asked them if they were crazy. There’s been something about you though since the day Gibbs came back from that case and said he’d found his new partner that just… got me.

“At first it was the intrigue of finding out what kind of man Gibbs willingly choose to be his partner. I mean, I tried pushing dozens of agents at him, and most didn’t even last a week. Hell, a few didn’t even make it to the end of the first day. You though came in like this bright light through the dark cloud that Gibbs can me. You were confident, intelligent, and you were absolutely not afraid to tell Gibbs what you thought of him and his nonsense.

“As good as an agent that Gibbs was, you made him better. His solve rate went up. His conviction rate went up, and the complaints from the local law enforcement and other agencies went down. When it came time to form the MCRT, I knew it had to be Gibbs, but I was worried about what would happen when you were boss and subordinate instead of something more like partners.”

Taking a drink of his water, Tony coughed as it seemed to get stuck in his throat and it was only his undercover training that kept his burning eyes from misting over. “I should have never allowed him to put Kate Todd on the team. She wasn’t the right fit no matter what Gibbs wanted, but you’d worked out so well that I hoped I would be wrong. Unfortunately, she was a piss poor profiler, she was too stuck on the idea that anything she didn’t get was because she was a woman, and her religion was a serious cloud on her judgment.

“I actually think McGee would have worked out ok. Maybe not the way Special Agent McGee thinks it would have. However, knowing that you were the one that fought for him, I think if outside forces hadn’t interfered, he would have become a decent agent. The problem is Gibbs is a horrible Team Leader and I can only imagine what happened when someone like Eli’s little girl came on the scene. When I got the offer to switch to Homeland, I knew that if I didn’t take you with me, I’d regret it. I also knew that there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that you’d go with me at that time. I hate the fact that I was right.”

“You and me both, Sir,” Tony admitted, his voice husky from the emotions that he was suppressing. “I think that if I could turn back time, I would have taken that job offer and left NCIS in the dust. Instead, I have a co-worker dead at my hand. I have a probie that can’t see the forest for the tree, and the man I thought I could put my faith and belief in turned out to be just another person to let me down. I don’t… I don’t know what to do now, sir.”

“The first thing that you can do is accept my offer,” Morrow insisted leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “It’s still on the table. Granted it isn’t what you think it is, but frankly, I need someone like you desperately. Take my offer, and I’ll have you out of NCIS before the end of the day tomorrow. I’ve already talked about it with SecDef and he’s ready to approve the paperwork himself.”

“SecDef?” Tony questioned, his eyes getting big with surprise. “As in my boss’ boss’ boss’ boss? What the hell are you getting me into?”

“Let’s just say it’s an opportunity out of this world, and there is no way you will refuse once you get all the details. You need to get out of NCIS, Tony. Even if we can get this cleaned up and by some miracle, Mossad gives up their hunt for your head, they don’t deserve you. You have one of the most amazing minds that I have ever seen. Your insight and out of the box thinking are needed by this nation to keep it safe. There are men and women on a special project I oversee that are risking their lives daily that have no one like you looking out for them. In my mind that is a goddamned travesty.

“Come to work for me. There’s an FBI agent I have picked out that I’d like to be your partner. I’ll send over his file and you can review it. If you like what you see, then we’ll get it done. If not, then I have a whole stack that you can go through. I have handpicked the best damned forensics person in the country I could find to work with your team. If this works, I have another name or two we can add. Leave NCIS and come work for me.”

“I don’t... what about Gibbs? He’ll have a coronary,” Tony argued weakly already half-convinced but a little afraid to believe that a project that big would want him.

“Gibbs is taking a leave of absence. He’s going to get his head on straight. Work out some personal issues that have been eating at his soul. Once he’s done, he’s coming to work for me personally. Not on this project, but as a bloodhound for me on my other duties. If you want to work things out with him, he’s open to it. If not, he understands. He told me to make sure you knew he was going to work on his shit and that he was breaking rule numbers 5, 6, and 8 but you’re worth it.”

“Fucker,” Tony cursed and rolled his eyes when Morrow chuckled. “I’m not deciding that today. There’s too much going on. I should think about this, but I’m not blind to the fact that even if the FBI says it was a just shot, I’m still in deep shit. Eli David is not going to stop until I’m six foot under. This new project, will it be able to protect me? Does it have something to do with these people you want me to talk to?”

“It does,” Morrow confirmed not bothering to try and hide how much he wanted Tony to say yes.

“OK, sir. Let’s do this. Get me out of NCIS. Bring in these people, whoever they are, and let me know what I’ve gotten myself into.”

“You won’t regret it,” Tony offered, slapping Tony’s leg lightly as he stood and headed to the door to call for O’Neill and Jackson whoever they were.

Five minutes later, Tony was studying an Air Force Lieutenant General and guy that looked part warrior and part professor. After Tom introduced them as Lt. Gen. Jack O’Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson an archaeologist, he turned the floor over to O’Neill who Tony thought was grinning at him in a way that made him want to hide.

“So, Special Agent DiNozzo. Tell me. How do you feel about aliens?”

“Jack!” The Doctor exclaimed at the same time that Morrow glared at the General. “Jesus Christ, O’Neill”

For his part though, the General didn’t look regretful in the slightest if the grin on his face was any indication. 

“Daniel, give the man his paperwork to sign and then tell him what he’s getting himself into. Don’t forget the little naked grey guys. I miss them.”

“For fuck sake, O’Neill,” Tom swore, and Tony just let his head fall back on his pillow as the largest Non-Disclosure Agreement he’d ever seen was set in place on his tray.

“Let me help you go through this since you only have one hand, Special Agent DiNozzo. Then I’m happy to tell you all about our adventures in outer space.”

“Fuck my life,” Tony muttered before picking up his pend and digging in.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

A couple nights later, Tony woke up from a dream that was probably as much a fault of the pain from his injuries as his ordeal with Ziva. He’d had his first session with a therapist associated with Stargate Command, which had scraped off the scab that had started to form over his mental injuries.

“You ok, Tony?”

Looking over the window to see Master Sergeant Moss Dougal looking at him concerned, Tony waved a

hand as he eased himself up straighter and swung his legs over the bedside.

“Yeah, just…” Tony waved his good hand in the air and fortunately, Moss nodded. “I’m gonna go get some of the pain meds Brad left me and sit in the recliner for a while.”

Having been taken off his antibiotics the day before, Tony had been given the ok to roam around the guesthouse as he wished, as long as he was careful. Mostly, he spent his time moving from the bed to the recliner in the living room. Brad and Emma had gone to visit Cheyenne mountain to check out their new working environment. So, it was mostly Staff Sergeant Basu that was overseeing his medical care.

“OK, holler if you need somethin’,” Moss urged helping Tony stand and DiNozzo nodded his agreement before shuffling out feeling like a 90-year-old man.

He’d just settled in the chair with a bottle of water, some chips, and ESPN on the TV when Eliot Spencer came in.

“Moss said you had another nightmare and you were hurtin’?” Eliot asked concerned as he sat down at the end of the couch closest to where Tony was sitting. “Did you take somethin’? Sucks that you gotta wait till you get to the mountain to get that shoulder and those ribs fixed. I guess it makes sense, but I hate to see ya in pain.”

“I took one of those pills Brad left,” Tony assured as he studied the other man. In the couple days that he’d been coherent, Tony had found that he really liked all of the team assigned to his protection, but there was something about Eliot that was different. There had been a time or two when he’d woken up wanting to scream from the mental and physical pain he was feeling, only to hear Eliot singing to try and soothe his ragged nerves.

“Have you ever regretted joining Stargate Command, Eliot?” Tony asked and watched as Spencer advised he was taking his earpiece out before answering.

“Nah, there are much worse places I could be than here. This place is like a family. There may be assholes, but mostly it’s good people who look out for each other as we try and kick some alien ass and keep the world safe in their beds. Truth is, I’d probably have gone down a real bad road if my old Commander hadn’t gotten me into this gig.”

“I see,” Tony offered quietly in understanding as he turned his attention away from the TV so that he could study the younger man. They had something of a getting to know you question and answer session that night he’d found out about Stargate, Atlantis, the Gao’uld, and the Wraith.

He’d learned that Eliot was almost two years younger than him. They were both bi-sexual. They were both musicians who wrote their own music, and both had complicated relationships with their fathers. Although, Eliot’s father was at least not a criminal. Fortunately, Spencer had refused to hold Senior’s ill deeds against his son.

“Can I ask you something pretty personal and fairly serious?” Tony asked after they’d sat in silence for several moments with only the light of the TV brightening the room.

“Shoot.”

“Have you ever met someone that made you wanna be a little reckless? Made you wanna not wait as long as you should? Made you ache for something before you should? Made you wonder if maybe there really wasn’t some bigger plan in the universe directing something whether it’s a God or Fate or whatever?”

“Yeah, I uhh… I…. yeah. I’d have to say I have.”

“Here’s the thing. I’m not in a place right now to start something serious. I have a messed up shoulder, broken ribs, and I’m a little shaky about the trust thing right now. Despite all that, I can’t get you out of my mind. The only thing that seems to chase my dreams away is your songs. When I’m awake, most of the time I really just want to spend it getting to know you. I’m nowhere near ready for a relationship and physically, sex isn’t even an option, but I can’t help but think that if I don’t say something… If I don’t make sure you know how I feel and what I want when I am ready that I’ll really fucking regret it later.”

“Well, I guess that’s two of us then,” Eliot said. His husky voice sending shivers down Tony’s spine.

“I can’t say as I have anythin’ to hold me back right now, but I can see that you aren’t in the place to start somethin’. I ain’t really worried about that though. One thing I have in spades is patience. So, you jus’ do your thing. We can get to know each other better. You can get to know m’team better cause they’re the closest thing to family I have. Then when you’re ready, we’ll see where this path takes us.”

Tony thought maybe that was the best news he’d gotten since Tom Morrow announced he was leaving NCIS. Maybe he really had found his true path in life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I write fanfiction for fun. It's a hobby and a stress relief. I refuse to angst over my writing. What you see is what you get. Errors, plot holes, and all. Thank you for reading my story!


	5. Chapter 5

# Chapter Five

It had been a couple weeks since Tony had given his report of the events in the shipping container and then been read in on the Stargate program. Tom was pleased with how well Tony was recovering and adjusting to the notion that aliens were really out there and not all of them were as friendly as E.T. Tony had made use of the team protecting him, and had kept them busy answering his questions as they kept him safe.

Unfortunately, they had yet been able to get him to the SGC to get the shoulder area injury and ribs healed because the investigation wasn’t yet closed. Tom hadn’t wanted to take the risk of someone questioning a miraculous recovery and he hadn’t wanted Tony to have to fake still being injured even if he knew the younger man could pull it off. Fortunately, it looked like things would be wrapped up on the investigation within the next day or so, which would allow them to get Tony all healed up.

Things on the Mossad front hadn’t gotten much better. They had been aware of at least two Mossad agents have entered the country and rumor was that at least one more had snuck in illegally. Because of the ongoing threat, Tony was still being closely guarded. While Tom knew the continued confinement was driving him crazy, Tony had been sent a tablet loaded down with various files to get himself familiar with the program. Then, a week prior they’d finally recruited Elijah Mundo, who would serve as Tony’s partner adding someone else to help keep Tony’s mind busy.

Tom was sitting in his office at home working on some paperwork that he’d brought with him when security notified him that Jethro Gibbs was at his front gate. Gritting his jaw with frustration, Tom had a terse conversation, and only after finding out that the NCIS agent was there to see him and him alone, was he allowed in with the understanding that he would be escorted to Tom’s office and better not try to stray.

By the time the pain in his ass had made it into the office, Tom had a cigar lit and was pouring himself a scotch. Turning he looked at Gibbs and held up his tumbler but was surprised to be turned down. Making his way back to his desk as Gibbs settled into one of the chairs in front of it, Tom took the time to study his visitor, who seemed more subdued than normal.

Whatever the reason for the visit there was definitely something weighing heavily on the man’s mind. Tom couldn’t say that he was upset by it or felt sympathy over it. It was about damned time, in Tom’s opinion, that the man started using his brain for something other than keeping his skull from caving in.

“Sorry about the intrusion, sir,” Gibbs started, and Tom just grunted his acknowledgment of the apology. “I didn’t know Tony was in residence, although I suppose it makes sense. I know that you always saw the potential in him.”

Tom just arched an eyebrow at the assumption and Gibbs shrugged with a half-grin. “Saw the Not-A-Homeland-Agent at the hospital. Knew they had to be Special forces of some kind. I’m glad Tony agreed to the protection.”

“Unlike some people, Tony doesn’t have his head logged up his ass, despite the rumors to the contrary. I better damn well not hear his location getting out, or you’ll be the first one to disappear. So far Mossad either hasn’t figured it out or hasn’t made a move, and I wanna keep it that way.”

“Won’t hear it from me,” Gibbs murmured subdued and Morrow just frowned at the out of character behavior by the man in front of him. “Last thing I want is to cause Tony any more harm. Fact of the matter is, while I know you aren’t gonna believe it right now if I’d known Tony was here I prob’ly would have waited and talked to ya at your office. I don’t really wanna see DiNozzo right now. Not because of anything he did, more like I don’t think he will wanna deal with me after he finds out what I have to say to you.”

“I see,” Tom offered his stomach beginning to churn with unease. “Why don’t you get to it then and tell me what the hell is going on. Because I gotta tell you, Jethro, I am getting more suspicious the longer this pod person routine of yours continues.”

“I can understand that” Gibbs acknowledged before delving into his tale. “This isn’t gonna be quick, but I figure I need to say some other things before I get to the meat of what I came for.”

“When I joined the Marines, I was an angry teenager with authority issues because of my mom’s death and dealing with a small-town cop who was more interested in the power his position gave him than keepin’ people safe and finding justice for victims of crimes and their families. The Core did a lot for me in the authority issue part, at least when it comes to people above me in rank. It prob’ly put a dent in the anger thing, at least for a while.

“Then Shannon an’ Kelly were murdered, and things went off the rails again. I was angrier than when m’mom died and never expected to survive the things I did in the aftermath. Lookin’ back I can see that maybe I wasn’t thinkin’ as clearly as I normally would, and that was taken advantage of. Only, I never saw it that way, and just kept goin’ along with things acceptin’ them for what they looked to be.”

When Gibbs paused, Tom fought from speaking immediately. Instead, he took a sip of his scotch and then spoke when Gibbs hadn’t continued. “So, what the hell did Mike Franks talk you into doing that you shouldn’t have? Does this have something to do with that drug dealer who killed your family bein’ murdered?”

Gibbs nodded looking down at his hands. “After you an’ I talked, I was… Well, pissed off doesn’t begin to touch how I was feelin’. Everything seemed to be fallin’ apart at once. Wasn’t that long ago that Tony was layin’ under blue lights thinkin’ that plague was gonna kill him. Then Kate was murdered by that rat bastard, Ari. You left and Shepard was put in your place an’ she couldn’t seem to decide if she wanted back in my bed or to prove she had a bigger dick than I do or maybe both. Ziva killed her brother and on the surface, it seemed like she had made a tough choice and saved me insteada her brother.

“Then ‘bout a week ago, I ran into my former CO from when I first got outta basic. He asked how things were going, an’ I guess that was the blow that broke the dam. Everything came out and prob’ly more than should have, but he’s got some position on the Commandant’s staff an’ says his security clearance should cover it all. After I was done unloadin’ he kicked my ass pretty well, an’ then told me some things I didn’t really wanna hear, but I guess I needed to.

“One of the things he told me was that I needed to come clean about a couple things an’ take whatever consequences come my way. So, that’s what I’m here to do. When I met Tony in Baltimore, I made a promise to him that I wouldn’t screw him over the way Danny had. Seems to me that I haven’t held up my end of the bargain on that lately. Once he finds out what I did, an' I’d appreciate you makin’ sure he knows cause I figure he deserves the truth, I’m pretty sure he’s gonna lump me in the same category as that partner of his.”

“Tell me what you did, and I’ll see what I can do,” Morrow advised without making any promises.

“Killed Pedro Hernandez as you guessed. Also, let Mike get away with killin’ somebody. At the time it seemed like I didn’ have any place to talk considerin’ what I’d done. Guess Mike knew that. I also didn’ say anything when he bashed Tony over the head on the same case, an’ I shoulda. Mike hates Tony. Never figured out why that is, but they’re like oil an’ water. Mike insisted that he didn’t mean to hit him that hard, an’ at the time I believed him. Now though after some thinkin’ an' getting my ass kicked things look different. Seems now like there’s a lotta things at NCIS I wish I’d a done different.”

“Like what?” Morrow asked picking up a pen from his desk and holding it between his hands to keep himself from breaking something.

“Shoulda never rolled over when Jenny placed Ziva on the team. Shoulda never started playin’ the power game with Jenny when she was put in your spot. Shoulda encouraged DiNozzo to take that spot you offered him instead of playin’ on his guilt to make him stay. Shoulda never taken Kate on the team and after I did there’s ‘bout a dozen things I shoulda done different. Shoulda handled both the Jeffrey White an’ the Atlas cases different. Tony needed more’n what I gave him when they were done. Hell, lookin’ back I’m not sure I shoulda ever even taken a team lead spot. Seems like I’ve fucked it all up pretty good.

“Jus’ do what you have to, to me. I ain’t gonna fight it. Jus’ promise me you’ll take care of Tony wherever you’re sendin’ him. Cause it sure as shit ain’t Homeland Security.”

Morrow let himself simmer quietly as he tried to glare holes into Gibbs’ head as he considered the clusterfuck that had been laid in his lap. The Hernandez thing wasn’t much of a revelation. He’d done a thorough check into Gibbs’ background both when he took over the Director spot at NCIS and when he decided to make Gibbs the Team Lead of the new MCRT. Hernandez had stuck out like a red thumb both times. It wasn’t a stretch to think that the husband and father of the victims, serving in the Marines as a sniper, may have had something to do with the victim being shot by a long-range sniper rifle.

In the grand scheme of things though, while he didn’t love the idea that his MCRT leader had murdered someone, he hadn’t been about to lose sleep over something he couldn’t prove without stirring up a hornet’s nest. Of course, it should have occurred to him that if Gibbs had killed Hernandez that he was compromised at least with Franks, who Morrow knew kept shit like that in files to use later when it became necessary.

While he didn’t remember the details of the case where Franks had been in danger, he did remember how concerned the doctor was. Tony was already a CTE risk going back to his days playing college football. The concussion from the blow to the head by apparently Franks hadn’t been a mild one either and Tom was well aware of how much more serious it could have been.

“You do realize that not only does this prevent you from taking a position with Homeland, but I would have to insist that at the very least you are ineligible from working for any federal agency again.”

“Yeah,” Gibbs admitted with a quick nod, and Tom understood clearer now the look on his former agent’s face.

“I gotta couple things lined up if I don’t end up in jail. I’m gonna start doing some work with an organization that helps kids of military members who have been killed or are listed as missing in action. They have a little boy who is interested in woodworking whose father is a Marine killed when the vehicle he was riding in hit an IED. Then my old CO says he knows of a couple opportunities once I get my shit straight. He gave me the name of someone I’ve started talkin’ to.”

“Well, obviously, I can’t make any promises. I’m going to have to talk to a couple people about both of these things. The Hernandez issue is well past its statute of limitations. The Franks issue though could draw an obstruction of justice charge if JAG decides that it’s worth the risk. Where are you standing when it comes to Franks after these near miraculous insights?”

“Can’t promise that it won’t change, but at the moment, I’d be happy if our paths never cross again. At the very least it seems he took advantage of me when I was at my lowest point for his own gain. I certainly wasn’t thinkin' right back then. Since then it seems like he’s jus’ played my weaknesses against me more n’ more. S’not an excuse for what I’ve done, but… I’m not lookin’ to let him add onto it any further.”

Tom nodded and just shook his head wondering if the fallout from that damned shipping contained incident would ever stop coming. Just when they seemed to be at the end, something else was uncovered. As much as he knew that these things needed to be exposed, he was more than ready for the bleeding to stop. He just hoped that this was the last of it and they could all move on with their futures from there.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

A few days later, Tom Morrow was sitting in his office at the Pentagon with Special Agent Jubal Valentine, Interim Director of NCIS Owen Granger, and Retired Admiral AJ Chegwidden who was acting in a Special Advisor role to the FBI as questions kept coming up about how certain things would affect current and former NCIS investigations. Special Agent Valentine was about to give everyone a rundown on the final findings of his investigations. Once he was done, Morrow would be leading a conversation about what Gibbs had dropped in his lap.

“This investigation seems to be the case that keeps on giving,” Special Agent Valentine quipped as he pulled out the notebook that he’d been using to keep everything straight. Tom knew that he’d been less than thrilled to find out about the Mike Franks issue that was once more preventing him from going back home to New York City.

“Let’s start with Special Agent DiNozzo. He’s been fully cleared of any wrongdoing in regard to the shooting inside of the shipping container. It was clear that Mossad Officer David took at least one shot at him when he returned fire in defense of his life. In the following investigations into the additional issues unveiled, there was also no wrongdoing uncovered on the part of Special Agent DiNozzo. Special Agent McGee tried to claim that Special Agent DiNozzo made the shot because he was jealous over not being included in a dinner party, but there was nothing uncovered to back up this claim.

“In the course of our case, we were hacked a couple of times, and the FBI’s cyber team traced that hack back to both Special Agent McGee and Forensic Analyst Sciuto. Fortunately, they were stopped before they could get into any of our files, so the investigation was not compromised. They both claim that they were just trying to see what was going on because they weren’t getting answers.

“Charges have been filed, and it is my understanding that a plea bargain has been or will soon be presented that will remove them both from future employment with any law enforcement or intelligence agency along with some required community service, probation, and a monitoring of their online activities. McGee caved pretty quickly once pressed. So, I would expect that he’ll take the plea. Sciuto had something of a meltdown both times while she was being questioned. She was highly uncooperative and belligerent. It is my understanding that since the last time we spoke to her she’s sought seclusion with the Sisters of St Bernadette.

While going through the information we were given by Special Agent Lagina, we uncovered some troubling activity on the part of Officer David. Special Agent DiNozzo was correct. She did indeed have way too much access to material classified well above what she should have been allowed and had taken advantage of it. We turned over a list of the information that we could determine she sent back to Mossad to Interim Director Granger for review to determine how badly our troop activity or ongoing investigations were compromised. Obviously, with her death, there isn’t anything further we can do about her actions as far as she is concerned.”

When Jubal turned his attention to Granger, the Interim Director spoke up. “Director Shepard has been put on suspension and will be relieved of her position by the end of the day tomorrow. It’s my understanding that SecNav is waiting on the results of something uncovered during a medical exam that was required because of some irrational behavior on her part witnessed during the investigation. Once it’s been determined what they are doing with her, I will be appointed the new Director of NCIS.”

After a round of congratulations, Jubal continued with the next item on his notepad. “The issues that Morrow dropped in my lap a couple of days ago are still being investigated, although it was verified that we are beyond the time limit for murder charges in Mexico. So, most likely all that will come of that is he will be prevented from further work with any federal or intelligence agency. The whole letting Retired Special Agent Mike Franks get away with murder boggles my mind. We’re still trying to determine if we can do anything about that now. I can’t even begin to tell you how disgusted I am with these people, and I swear to God Tom if you drop anything else in my lap, I’m losing my mind.”

“I make no promises,” Morrow quipped and just gave Jubal a smirk when the FBI agent glared at him. “Anything else that you have to tell us, and is there anything else you need Special Agent DiNozzo for? If not, we would like to let him move onto his new assignment.”

“Nope and nope.” Jubal offered, putting his notepad back in his inner suit coat pocket. “The FBI is done with Special Agent DiNozzo at this time. It’s my understanding that if anything comes up with the remaining investigation that the Director has made an agreement it can be done over video conference. So, unless you need me for anything further, I’ll get out of here and let the three of you talk about things over my paygrade.”

“Thank you for your time and dedication, Special Agent Valentine,” Morrow offered as he stood to shake the younger man’s hand. “Your honesty and efforts are very appreciated by not just myself but also a lot of people who have been watching this case unfold.”

As he sat, Tom watched as Jubal shook hands with Granger and Chegwidden before exiting the office. Once he was gone, Morrow enabled his security protocols to lock down the office so that they could not be interrupted or overheard.

“Owen, I am glad to hear you are finally getting the chair,” Morrow offered as he relaxed in his chair. “If I had my way you would have gotten it originally, but it wasn’t my decision. I was being told that they wanted a female in office, but with how things have unfolded I can’t help but wonder if she had something on someone that helped her placement along.”

“You aren’t the only one, and it’s my understanding that is being looked into,” Chegwidden agreed as Granger just huffed.

“Seriously, aliens? What the hell.” Granger swore and Morrow couldn’t help but chuckle. While there hadn’t been suggested that Shepard ever be read into the program, Morrow fought and eventually won the argument that Granger be read in. Especially if it would allow them to leave DiNozzo at NCIS and assign him to the SGC in an Agent Afloat type position.

While Morrow really wanted Tony under his command, it was mostly because he knew he could trust himself not to screw the man over. However, if things unfolded the way it was looking, they’d end up with a new SecNav and Tony would be perfectly safe where he already was allowing them to assign him to the SGC without any further training issues if he transferred to a new agency.

“It’s my understanding that SecNav’s removal from office is a done deal,” AJ agreed, and Granger just smirked.

“Well, you would know sir, or should I call you future SecNav?”

“I do have to go through congressional hearings and all that jazz you know,” AJ griped, and Tom just looked at him unimpressed.

“You could have said no,” Morrow pointed out, and this time it was Chegwidden’s turn to glare.

“Like I’m going to turn this down,” AJ grumbled as Granger and Morrow shared a smirk. “Is DiNozzo ready for the SGC and how soon can we get him to the mountain to be healed?”

“He’s more than ready. If we don’t move him soon, I think that he’s gonna lose his mind. DiNozzo has never dealt well with boredom, and he already has a list of things he wants to investigate once he gets to the mountain. I don’t think O’Neill has any idea what’s coming his way.”

“It’ll be good for him,” Morrow said with a smile. “There’s been more than one person who has pointed out the similarities O’Neill and DiNozzo share and a lot of us can’t wait to see Jack having to deal with someone just like him. Hammond called me just to tell me I better keep him in the loop once he found out. How in the hell he knows DiNozzo, I don’t know, but then I learned long ago not to question how Tony knows half the contacts he has.”

“How are things going with DiNozzo and Mundo?” Chegwidden asked and Tom could see Granger was equally curious.

“Good. In fact, they’re gelling better than I thought they would be considering in some ways Mundo is very similar to Gibbs. Fortunately, in the important ways, he’s nothing like Jethro. I expect to be able to move them both to the mountain tomorrow. They’ll both have to pack up their things and move residences at some point. I’m still working on another couple agents to work with them, but Sanders is on board, and is just finishing up a case in Vegas then he will officially move as well.”

“So, it sounds like things are going to work out then?” Granger asked in his normal stoic tone. “What happens if they don’t press charges against Franks? I am familiar with both him and Gibbs and while I never would have seen the personal changes Gibbs has made, there’s no way in hell Franks will go quietly.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about Franks,” Morrow assured flashing a dark smile. “I have a plan for him should he end up anywhere other than a jail cell.”

“I don’t wanna know,” Chegwidden inserted immediately. “I really don’t wanna know.”

“No need to, AJ,” Tom assured as he started closing down his computer deciding he deserved a short day. “I have everything under control.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I write fanfiction for fun. It's a hobby and a stress relief. I refuse to angst over my writing. What you see is what you get. Errors, plot holes, and all. Thank you for reading my story!


	6. Epilogue

# Epilogue:

Eliot Spencer along with the rest of his team beamed down into the yard of Mike Franks’ home in Mexico. Trusting his men to follow their assignments, he paused just long enough to scan his surroundings to make sure there were no surprises. It had taken a couple months for everyone involved to be sure that there were no other opportunities to put Franks in jail. After exhausting everything they could however, it was agreed it would be a better idea to let Morrow go ahead with his backup plan. Once he was satisfied they were good, Eliot motioned Moss to enter the residence with Basu following behind him.

Having already been given the layout of the small house from Gibbs via Tom Morrow, it was easy work for his 3-man team, well used to such matters, to pick their way through the home and to the bedroom. Fortunately, as Gibbs assured Franks seemed to be passed out if the smell of booze was to be trusted, lying face down on his bed.

When Eliot was called into O’Neill’s office and saw Homeworld Director Tom Morrow in there, he’d immediately been worried. Eliot had gotten to know the Director pretty well during the weeks his team spent protecting Tony at Morrow’s guest house. So, he knew that the angry look on the older man’s face didn’t mean anything good. When he’d left the office, he wasn’t surprised at all to find out that he’d been right.

When the FBI completed their re-investigation into the man Franks had killed, it was determined that there was no way to be sure that if they took the case to court Franks would end up in jail. Because of that, those with more power than Eliot hadn’t been willing to risk the blemish it would put on NCIS and possibly cause other cases to come into question. Instead, Morrow advised that if he couldn’t put Mike Franks in prison, then he wanted to be sure that he was never a problem again.

Easing up to the side of Franks’ bed, Eliot paused and poked the former NCIS agent in the side of his face with the tip of his P-90. When the man jerked, Eliot had to resist giving him the same treatment that Franks had given Tony. Knowing that wouldn’t accomplish his mission though kept him from acting irrationally. “Don’t move or I swear I’ll save us all a lot of time and effort and just kill your stupid ass now,” Eliot growled. He knew very well that his teammates would be able to hear the anger in the husky timbre of his drawl.

“I don’t know who you are…” Franks started only to shut up when Moss poked him from the other side.

“Shut up old man,” Moss growled making Franks flinch as he turned his head to look. Eliot almost snorted when Basu just smirked at the asshole waving what appeared to be the biggest damned needle the man could find.

“No one gives a shit about your threats.”

“We certainly aren’t afraid of an asshole like you. We’ve seen what real bad guys are like. After the Marilyn Manson look-alike, you ain’t nothing.” Basu agreed, and Eliot poked Franks again to get his attention. Once the old man was looking at him again, Eliot made sure Franks had no question of why they were there.

“You fucked up old man. You played cowboy one too many times. Now, I’m gonna lay down the law for you, and you’re gonna follow my orders like a good little asshole, or you’ll regret it.”

“I ain’t afraid of you,” Franks sneered, and Eliot just smiled darkly, feeling the furthest thing from friendly in years.

“You should be. See, we ain’t a band of mercenaries. You’ve pissed off some very powerful people who would rather you just disappeared. Unfortunately, your granddaughter loves you, and they’d rather not deal with the fuss your daughter in law might raise if you disappeared. So, before risking it, they’re going to give you one chance to prove you’re not as stupid as your actions indicate.”

“You forgot my probie, asshole,” Franks sneered, and Eliot just lifted an eyebrow as Moss grunted his disbelief.

“Who the fuck do you think told us where to find you, jackass? Now, shut the fuck up and listen. We know all about the man you killed and got away with. Gibbs found his conscious and told us all about it. In return for not making you disappear, you’re going to stay your stupid ass in Mexico, and never contact either Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs or Special Agent Tony DiNozzo again.

“Should you either try to enter the US or attempt to contact either man or anyone they know again, you will literally disappear. You won’t die. We’ll just take you and put you in a place that will make you wish we’d killed you. Just in case you think you can sneak somewhere without knowing it, know that the organization we work for has people who work on nothing else but keeping track of people and better ways to do it.

“You’re done. You’re never hurting someone again just because they were doing their job. You’re never taking advantage of an emotionally compromised man again who just wanted to grieve the loss of his wife and daughter. You’re never taking the law into your own hands again and deciding when you’re gonna follow it and when you’re not. Trust me when I say that if you fuck with me, you will regret it for the remainder of your very incredibly painful life. I will make sure you live a hell of a long time just so I can make you suffer longer.”

Franks opened his mouth to smart off, but Eliot wasn’t interested and apparently, his teammates weren’t either. Before Franks could speak, Karun jabbed a needle in his ass smaller than the one he’d threatened him with earlier. This one was filled with a strong sedative, and before Franks was done slurring out the first sentence of his threat, he was out cold. After confirming he was out, Eliot signaled to Karun that it was ok to proceed and watched him pull the nightmare needle back out.

“They’re sure that this tracker can’t be extracted? What’s to prevent some doctor from finding it out in some medical exam or x-rays or some shit and just cutting it out.”

“This is a brand-new tracker developed just for assholes like Mike Franks,” Basu, who served as the team’s doctor when they were in the field, assured. “As soon as it’s implanted it immediately finds a muscle and begins to burrow in. Quickly it becomes one with the muscle and after only 24 hours it cannot be removed without cutting the entire muscle out. Once it’s in place, if someone should try to cut it out, the tracker releases a chemical that will quickly and painfully kill the person being tracked.

“Trust me, he will never get near Tony again, Eliot.”

“Better damned well not,” Eliot swore, and once Basu was done, he signaled his team to exit. Not an hour after they were back in their rooms trying to get some sleep before their mission the next day.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Tony was standing in the mostly quiet gate room watching the Stargate sitting at the top of the ramp. It had taken a couple months, even with the rapid healing of his shoulder area injury and ribs along with the healing of his lung problems from his plague run-in and healing the even older knee injury from college. Tony had a high standard for himself of field readiness and had taken up training with his partner Elijah Mundo and some of the other marines on base.

When he first left NCIS, Tony had wondered if he’d really ever find a place that he could just put down roots at and stay. A couple months later though he had to admit that there was something about the SGC that just felt different than any other place he’d been in. The people were generally more open-minded. After all, you couldn’t handle aliens if you hated people for the laundry list of reasons humans often used.

Elijah Mundo was almost a dream partner, often reminding him of the early days with Gibbs without some of the bullshit he’d overlooked even back then. Their new Forensics Analyst was also fitting in quite well not only with Tony and Elijah but the other scientists in the mountain. Then there was Eliot Spencer.

Eliot was… Well, some days Tony didn’t have words for what Eliot was becoming for him. There was a quietness and calmness about the man that Tony hadn’t understood how much he needed until he had it. There was also something refreshing about knowing he could discuss his father with someone who had their own parental issues and didn’t judge. While Gibbs and his father had been estranged for years, it was the way he just ignored the things Tony said more than anything else. With Eliot, there was a quiet assurance of sympathy and acceptance that Tony wasn’t used to.

So, things with Eliot were going wonderfully. It wasn’t like everything was peaches and cream. Despite trying to divorce himself from his worries over what happened at NCIS, Tony still had some lingering guilt over people like McGee and Abby wondering if he could have, should have done something to prevent what happened to them. Eliot and Elijah both kept telling him that they weren’t his problem. Unfortunately, old habits were hard to break.

Tony had always drawn his responsibilities deep within himself and tried to give everything within him to see they were fulfilled. It ate at him when that didn’t happen. He still saw his former partner Danny’s dirty dealings with the mob as a shortcoming he should have been able to prevent, and he doubted that he’d let go of his worry over Abby and McGee any quicker.

General O’Neill was a riot, and while they mostly got along, Tony knew that the numerous issues he and Mundo kept finding were driving the commander crazy. Daniel Jackson was completely awesome, and the kind of geek that Tony loved. When everything in the mountain got to be too much, Tony had taken to hiding in Jackson’s office letting him teach Tony more ancient. They’d found out that Tony not only had the ATA gene, but it was as strong as O’Neill’s which the General definitely loved.

Carter on the other hand seemed to hate Tony’s guts for some reason that he couldn’t uncover. Maybe there was a time when Tony would have obsessed over it, but after the way things ended for Team Gibbs, Tony was at least able to stop fretting about people who hated him. Apparently, Ziva was good for at least one thing in the end.

“You ready?” Tony heard and looked over to see Eliot Spencer standing next to him with an understanding smile on his face.

“Yeah, maybe a little nervous,” Tony admitted with a shrug as he turned his gaze back to the quiet Stargate. He’d sat up in the conference room and watched dozens of missions come and go since he’d arrived at the mountain and felt the same level of awe and excitement each time. Somehow though now that his turn had come, he felt the same familiar gameday nerves that once plagued him at Ohio State.

“Nothin’ to be nervous about,” Eliot assured as he bumped his shoulder into Tony’s. “We got y our back.”

As the room filled up and the chevrons eventually began to light up, Tony continued to take in the scene in front of him enjoying Eliot’s comfortable heat next to him. When it came time to step through, Tony couldn’t help but look to his right to see Eliot by his side. At that moment, he realized that no matter what happened after that, it was all gonna be ok from there on out.

The End!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I write fanfiction for fun. It's a hobby and a stress relief. I refuse to angst over my writing. What you see is what you get. Errors, plot holes, and all. Thank you for reading my story!

**Author's Note:**

> I write fanfiction for fun. It's a hobby and a stress relief. I refuse to angst over my writing. What you see is what you get. Errors, plot holes, and all. Thank you for reading my story!


End file.
